Unspeakable Love
by Tatiana Belikova
Summary: The Moroi world is thriving, but dhampir Moroi relationships are still frowned upon. Prince Dragomir decides to have his daughter Lissa marry a dhampir to show it's alright. Unfortunately the dhampir whom he recruits to marry Lissa is Dimitri, who is in love with Rose, her best friend, and Rose is in love with him. READ THE FULL SUMMARY INSIDE TO UNDERSTAND THE STORY.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the wondrous Richelle Mead does :P

_Summary: The Moroi world is thriving. Well, the Moroi are. All the families have plenty of members, but the same can't be said about the dhampirs. Dhampir/Moroi relationships are still frowned upon, so Prince Dragomir, Lissa's father, decides to have his daughter marry a dhampir to show it's alright and also that it won't affect the guardian's focus. It will also produce more dhampirs and encourage Moroi/dhampir relationships, something sorely needed. _

_Unfortunately, the dhampir whom he recruits to marry Lissa is Dimitri, who is in love with Rose, her best friend, and Rose is in love with him. Dimitri has no choice in the matter, however. _

_Rose and Dimitri desperately try to find a way out of the marriage as the wedding day draws closer and meddling Moroi create more obstacles...Will they find a way to be together? Or will Dimitri be doomed to a marriage with someone he does not love while Rose be forced to watch the love of her life marry her best friend?_

_Side note: There was no car crash, Lissa is an air user, they never escaped school, and Lissa is very innocent and naive, always protected by her friends and family. Dimitri was assigned to mentor Rose by Lissa's father, who wanted the best for his daughter._

RPOV:

I smiled dreamily at my secret boyfriend as he stood guard against the wall. We had been sending each other messages through our eyes the entire lunch period as my best friend Lissa Dragomir blabbered on obliviously.

"And then we'll have to go to court for the meeting about dhampir-moroi relationships, and - Rose are you listening?" Said best friend was clearly irritated by me from the tone of her voice

"Huh? What was that, Lissa?" I questioned, tearing my gaze away from my six foot seven Russian god.

Lissa sighed, brushing her long blonde hair out of her face. "Honestly, Rose, I don't understand how you're passing any class. You have the attention span of Dory." Lissa's emerald green eyes darkened slightly with irritation, but then lightened with amusement.

"Oooh, I love 'Finding Nemo'!" I exclaimed. "Can we watch that tonight, please, please, please?" I looked at her with puppy eyes.

Lissa laughed. "But Guardian Belikov will have to be with us, since I'm sure you'll be inviting Mason and Eddie," Lissa replied, winking at me conspiratorially.

I rolled my eyes. She had long ago decided that Mason and I were in love, but she couldn't be more wrong.

"Look at that excited look on your face! You know I'm right!" Lissa continued, laughing.

I was excited, yes, but not because my two best guy friends were joining us for the movies. No, I was excited that I would get to hang out with my boyfriend even more now. He had been called away for about three days, forcing me to go three days without seeing, talking, and touching him. It was pure torture and also pure luck that Lissa wanted to watch a movie tonight.

"Sure, Liss, whatever you say," I said jovially. I knew better than to argue, because that would lead to questions I couldn't answer at this very moment in time.

"Alright, well, you can let Mason and Eddie know that we're meeting in the lounge, okay?"

I nodded, shoving the last bit of my hoagie into my mouth before washing it down with milk.

"To class?" I asked, standing up.

"To class," Lissa agreed.

We made our way to our afternoon classes, most of which Dimitri kept watch over. Lissa was right; the fact that I was passing any class was a miracle - a miracle which was Dimitri, who helped me with my homework and forced me to study for tests or else he wouldn't so much as kiss me. He pretty much took my notes for me. It really was a good thing that he was the guard for most of my classes.

The day passed quickly and soon it was time for the movie get together. Dimitri had yet to hear of it, so I took it upon myself to inform him.

"Hey, Comrade," I said, casually walking up to him as he walked towards his room.

"Hello, Rose," Dimitri replied, ever professional, but I could see a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"So, we're going to be watching a movie in the lounge tonight," I continued, acting as if this was nothing and I wasn't jumping up and down in excitement in my mind.

"Oh, really." Dimitri had the same even tone as I. However, I could see the happiness in his eyes and the anticipation. Both he and I knew that Lissa would make him sit with us and watch the movie, which meant we would be able to cuddle together in the darkness.

"Yep," I said lightly, steering us to the Moroi lounge which we had long since claimed as ours.

"What movie are we watching?" Dimitri questioned as we walked through the door. He nodded to the receptionist in a brief greeting.

"We will be watching 'Finding Nemo' in honor of my attention span," I replied.

"Or lack thereof?" Dimitri arched an eyebrow, making me scowl.

"That's not fair," I pouted.

Dimitri chuckled, his whole face brightening. "Of course it is, Dory," he teased.

I rolled my eyes, not able to keep a smile from spreading across my face. Dimitri Belikov had been my mentor for two years now. He had become my mentor at the request of Prince Eric Dragomir, Lissa's dad. Eric wanted nothing but the best for his daughter, and who better than the rising star in the guardian world? He was young, good looking, and a great guardian. It only made sense for Dimitri to be Lissa's guardian and give me extra training while he was at it. We began working together in my junior year, and from day one, sparks flew. We tried resisting, but after spending the summer together practically alone at Court, it was clear that we couldn't stay apart. Even though technically, Dimitri should have been assigned to a Moroi leaving Court, Prince Dragomir had Dimitri stay with Lissa and I to watch over us. Of course, Lissa had been busy learning the ropes of the Royal system and couldn't have a guardian with her 24/7 due to her age, so Dimitri got stuck with me. We had even been able to visit his family. He had the most loving and caring family I had ever seen. I had ended up crying because I had never had a family like his, or a family period. The Dragomirs were close, but they were more extended family, not like my mother and father.

"Rose?"

I blinked, coming out of my thoughts. "What? Sorry, zoned out there." I smiled up at Dimitri,

Dimitri smiled back. "I can see that. We're here," he said.

"Oh," I mumbled. I opened the door and walked in, Dimitri close behind me.

Lissa was sitting by herself on the three seater couch while Eddie Castile and Mason Ashford were in arm chairs to her left. Mia Rinaldi, a small, blonde junior moroi, sat on a cushion at Mason's feet, leaning against them.

I plopped down next to Lissa while Dimitri went to stand against the wall.

"Oh, Guardian Belikov, you should know better than that. Come sit with us," Lissa chastised him

Dimitri hid a smile and went to sit next to me.

"Wait!" Lissa cried out. Dimitri froze, looking at her. "Could you turn off the lights while you're still standing?"

Dimitri spun around and turned off the lights, plunging us into complete darkness.

"Crap! Where's the controller?" Lissa exclaimed.

"Would you like me to turn the lights back on, ma'am?" Dimitri asked, startlingly close to me. Goosebumps formed on my skin from where his breath hit my arm and shoulder.

"No, I got it," Lissa said, sounding a bit distracted.

"Alright." Dimitri sat next to me, then wrapped his arm around my waist. He pulled me closer to his side and pressed a kiss on my neck.

The TV turned on, lighting the room.

"I missed you, Roza," Dimitri breathed in my ear as the movie began.

I snuggled closer to Dimitri. The way we were sitting, no one could see how close we were. I blocked Lissa's view and Lissa blocked everyone else's.

"I missed you too," I mumbled back, pressing a kiss on his collar bone, smiling against his skin when I felt him shiver.

Throughout the movie, Dimitri peppered me with kisses and whispered sweet nothings in my ear. It was all I could do to not start kissing him. After all, we weren't actually supposed to be together, and me attacking him would be a pretty good indicator that we were.

After 'Finding Nemo' was over, Lissa suggested watching Madagascar 3, and I, like the awesome friend that I was, said yes. Truthfully, all I wanted to do right now was go back to Dimitri's room and properly welcome him back, but _they come first. _I was getting really tired of that saying.

* * *

_**A/N: Um...this is an update for Never Too Late. I know. But...well, I had this awesome idea and I was persuaded to write it asap...so I did :D Sorry! I hope you enjoyed this(: Updates will be sporadic, since I have several other on-going stories. But, Never Too Late is coming to a close, so this will be update more often once I'm done with it. This isn't the greatest beginning, I know, but it'll get better, I promise!**_

_** Readers of Never Too Late: I have a chapter mostly written, but...REVIEW! please :D **_

_** xoxoxoxo **_

_** -Tatiana **_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Yup, I don't own VA. I'm not that awesome (;

RPOV:

After the movie was over, Dimitri led us all back to our respective rooms.

I was the last one. When we reached my room, Dimitri leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips.

"Come to my room in fifteen minutes," he murmured into my ear.

Thankfully, it was late enough by now that most people were in bed, so no one could see us.

I nodded.

"You haven't lost my key, yet, right?"

I pulled one of the chains around my neck out of my shirt and grabbed the key hanging on it. "Nope," I said, smirking.

Dimitri smiled. "Good. I don't think I can ask for another one without them completely taking the lock off my door," he teased me.

I'd lost a couple of the keys he had given me before I had the brilliance to put it on a necklace.

"Shut up," I mumbled, sticking my tongue out at him.

"I have to go back now. Remember, fifteen minutes."

I nodded again and with one last kiss turned to go into my room. As soon as I was turned around, Dimitri swatted my butt playfully. I looked over my shoulder at him flirtatiously.

"I'm gonna get back at you, Comrade," I warned him.

Dimitri grinned in reply as he backed away.

"I look forward to it, Roza."

* * *

As promised, I appeared outside his door fifteen minutes later - plus five more. Swiftly, I unlocked the door and slipped in.

Once the door was closed and locked behind me, I took in the scene before me. My breath caught. Even though he had been the one that was gone, his room was filled with candles, casting a romantic glow onto everything, in a 'welcome home, I missed you,' kind of way. On the bed, 'I love you, Roza' was spelled out in caramel Hershey kisses, my favorite. Dimitri stood off to the side of the bed.

Once my eyes finally landed on him, I moved forward, arms outstretched. Dimitri met me halfway, enveloping me in his strong arms.

"I missed you so much," I mumbled into his chest, inhaling his wonderful scent of aftershave and Dimitri. I reveled in the feeling of his warmness, his safety, his love surrounding me.

"I missed you too, my Roza. Three days is much too long to go without you," he mumbled back, his face buried in my long, dark hair.

We simply stayed wrapped in each others arms for several long minutes. Finally, we broke apart.

I walked to the bed, smiling at the 'I love you.'

"Sorry to ruin your masterpiece, but I'm hungry," I said, completely relaxed for the first time since Dimitri left.

Dimitri chuckled. "It's quite alright. It was made for you to eat," he replied, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his chest against my back.

I reached down and scooped up every kiss. Opening one, I popped it into my mouth before opening another one and putting it into Dimitri's mouth. He made a sound of satisfaction in the back of his throat. We stood there eating our chocolate, as if waiting for something.

Suddenly, I realised he was waiting for me to make a move while I was waiting for him. I grinned and broke out of his hold, climbing onto the bed. Dimitri followed behind me.

We settled down, him sitting up against the dark brown headboard and with me cuddle up on his chest.

"How was the meeting?" I asked, my ear laying over his chest. Hearing his heart beating strongly was my favorite sound in the world, after his moan of pleasure, and his voice, of course. Singing would almost make the list, but he was terrible at it.

"It was okay," Dimitri said thoughtfully, absentmindedly playing with my hair, while his other hand drew circles on my hip. "We talked about the lack of dhampirs. Some idiot had the idea to make graduate early, but that was shot down quickly, thank God. The main issue is the fact that Moroi/dhampir relationships are so frowned upon. They want to make it acceptable, but have no idea how. All of them think it's a great idea, but no one wants to date a dhampir. Of course, most of them are married and with families, but still." Dimitri sighed. "They're looking more into it. I pointed out that Tasha Ozera was very serious with her guardian, but apparently she's not prominent enough in society, so she doesn't count. I called her about it and she decided to attend the meeting from now on, so that's something."

"Do you have to go to the next one?" I asked. I found it great that dhampirs had a voice and all, but did it have to be my boyfriend's?

"Thankfully, no. This was a one-off. Alberta just didn't want to go. And I can totally see why. A bunch of stuffy Royals who talk too much and can't get anything done, that's what it all is." Dimitri sounded disgusted.

"But it's gotten so much better over the years," I reminded him. "I mean, guardians no longer have to have mindless jobs at Court, but are actually guarding Moroi. And if a Moroi is staying at Court for more than two weeks, their guardian is given to a Moroi who is leaving Court. The death rate for Moroi has gone down drastically, and so have Strigoi attacks."

Dimitri grinned down at me. "When did you get so logical and smart?" he asked teasingly.

I gave him a sly smile. "I had a good teacher," I told him as I leaned up to kiss him properly.

Dimitri tilted his head down to meet me. Our lips moved in sync for several moments. I ran my tongue along his lip and he opened his mouth, letting my tongue dart in. We fought for dominance, Dimitri winning.

We continued kissing, breaking apart briefly to take quick gasps of air before attaching our mouths again. Desire ran through my body, lighting it on fire. One hand buried itself in Dimitri's silky hair, keeping his face secured to mine, while my other hand traveled down his chest to the bottom of his shirt. I slipped it under his shirt, running my fingers along his chest, tracing each muscle. Dimitri shuddered and moved his arm from around my waist to start his own exploration, as if I had given him permission. In a way, I had; Dimitri always waited to make sure I was okay with what he was doing before doing it in our sex life. After all, I was the inexperienced one.

I finally pulled away from his mouth, trailing kisses down his neck. I was going to show him exactly how much I had missed him.

_(Eh, I'm too lazy to write a sex scene. If anyone wants to write one, go ahead, I'll add it :P)_

* * *

After we appreciated each others bodies to the max, we lay wrapped up together, trying to catch our breath.

"I love you, so much, Comrade," I said, looking up at him through my lashes.

"I love you too, my Roza." He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.

"Night Comrade," I whispered, snuggling closer to him and closing my eyes.

Dimitri's arms tightened around me. "Good night, Roza," he whispered back.

I quickly fell into the best sleep I'd had all week.

* * *

_**A/N: Some fluff(: Seriously, if anyone wants to write a lemon for me, I'll take it and add it to the story :P **_

_**What do you think? Thank you for all of your reviews! They're all amazing and made me soo happy :D**_

_**Oh, check out LolitaPop27's story, Queen of Hearts. It's amazing!**_

_**xoxoxo**_

_**-Tatiana**_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own VA. *sadface*

RPOV:

I awoke the next morning to kisses being peppered all over my face. A smile crept into my lips.

"Ah, the angel awakens."

I opened my eyes to see Dimitri's face smiling down at me, his hair swinging down, almost like a curtain.

"You're such a cheeseball," I laughed, tucking his hair behind his ear, only to have it swing down again.

"Only for you, my Roza, only for you." He lifted my hand from where it was resting on top of the blanket and pressed a kiss on my ring finger, where the promise ring he'd given me over the summer was.

The promise ring was simple, just a silver band with a garnet in the middle. Guardian salaries, though raised from previous years, were still not so big that he could give me a diamond. He had one exactly like it; however, he could wear his anytime while I was stuck wearing it only when we were alone. Otherwise, I had it on a necklace.

I smiled at him, feeling utterly content and in love. I wouldn't be surprised if I was glowing with all the feelings of love that were coming off of me. Had you of told me two years ago that I would be hopelessly in love with my teacher, I would have laughed in your face before punching it. I'd changed so much, becoming soft and so, so happy.

Dimitri sighed and sat up, the blanket pooling around his waist. "We need to get up, Roza."

I sighed and sat up as well, keeping the blanket covering me. "I know, I know." I wrinkled my nose with distaste. We still had daily practice, in the morning and in the afternoon. It was the only time we could justify being together in public.

Dimitri got out of bed and I averted my eyes, knowing there was no way we would be leaving this room if I looked.

"Are you taking a shower?" I asked, looking out the window.

"Yes. Would you like to take on with me?" I could tell he was smirking at me, not expecting me to say yes.

I turned around and got an eyefull of his privates. Swallowing hard, I raised my eyes to his. "Yes, that would be nice."

His smirk disappeared. "Rose, you know-" he began.

"I know we can't do anything. Doesn't mean I can't wash you." I gave him a saucy grin and got out of bed, letting the blanket drop. Dimitri's eyes widened as I strutted to the bathroom attached to his room. I paused at the door and turned back. "Coming?"

* * *

After the shower (in which we did nothing more than wash each other), we got dressed. Since I spent half the nights in his room, half of his dresser was dedicated to my clothes.

"It's going to be so easy to transition from this room to an apartment at Court," Dimitri commented, throwing a shirt to me before putting on his own.

"Mmhmm," I agreed, distracted. We didn't really talk about the future as much as one would think. We'd sort of figured out what we were going to do once Lissa and I graduated; there was no way for him to be reassigned and us still stay together, so he was going to ask to be a permanent guardian at Court. We weren't too sure where Lissa was going to live or what she would do. As far as she knew, she was going to get a job at Court, but nothing was in stone yet. We had no way of knowing what would happen since Lissa didn't know what would happen.

"Rose?"

I shook my thoughts off and gave Dimitri a small smile. "Just thinking about graduation," I said lightly.

Dimitri stayed silent, knowing where my thoughts were. Once we were both dressed, he came up to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry." He kissed my neck.

I nodded. "I know. Just..." I sighed. "I wish I knew how this will work. Lissa will be so pissed that I kept this from her."

Dimitri shrugged, his shoulders moving against my back. "She'll understand. You two are best friends."

"If you say so," I said doubtfully.

"I do." He pulled away and kissed the back of my head. "No let's go."

* * *

Training was the same as usual, followed by breakfast. Dimitri stayed close to our table protectively. If a guy outside of our circle of friends ever dared to come within ten feet of th table, Dimitri was on him in a matter of seconds. No way was another guy going to bother his girl, or so he said.

Halfway through breakfast, Dimitri caught my eye warningly and darted his eyes down. I followed them, confused and looked at my hand, which was laying on the table. I stared at it for a moment before realising what he was talking about. My promise ring was still on my hand. Blushing slightly, I pulled it off casually before taking off the chain around my neck; the empty one, not the one with his key.

"Rose, what are you doing?" Lissa asked, watching me.

"My necklace keeps latching on to my hair," I lied. "I'm taking it off for a bit."

Lissa nodded; to her, this made perfect sense. There was no doubt in her mind that I was telling the truth, which made me feel guilty. _It's for your own good,_ I reminded myself. _If this got out, you would never see Dimitri again. _I couldn't wait for the day that we no longer had to hide our love.

"Daddy is visiting," Lissa said happily.

"Cool," I said, equally happy. Eric Dragomir was like the uncle I never had. "Is your mom here too?"

Lissa shook her head. "He saw me this morning, but said he was here on official Court business. So he'll be in meetings all day, spend the night, then leave sometime tomorrow." She sighed sadly.

"Hey, cheer up. It's the end of November already. Winter vacation will be here in no time. And you'll get to spend two weeks with your family." _While I get to spend them with Dimitri's family,_ I added in my mind, smiling inwardly.

"Yeah, you're right," Lissa replied, smiling again. "Are you sure you don't want to come home with me? I mean, it can't be too fun to stay here, with Guardian Belikov, for Christmas. Seems boring."

"Well, Dimitri is going to be visiting his family, and I really don't want to deal with Court during the holidays. You'll be tied up in meetings deciding your future and I'll be stuck taking up space at your house again, just like this summer," I explained.

Lissa made a face at that. "I'm glad I can be a part of things and all, but...eh. Court business is pretty boring."

"Have you decided what you're going to do?" I asked hopefully.

Lissa shrugged. "I think I'm going to start as a secretary for one of the Princes; no my dad, of course. I'm thinking about going to Lehigh next year or the one after that, depending on how things go," Lissa answered.

I frowned. I was hoping she wouldn't go to college, because that would mean Dimitri and I would have to be on constant alert and there was the possibility of us not being able to guard her properly. Hopefully, Dimitri would be able to find a job as Court guardian by then, although most of the permanent Court guardians were those who were near retiring or were injured in battle, guardians that weren't in top shape, but still wanted to fight, or at least do something. Female guardians that wanted to stay home with their families also tended to guard the Court. With the lowered number of Strigoi, and new system of guardian distribution, more dhampirs were apt to become guardians so that low action jobs like guarding the academies and Court, places Strigoi didn't attack, were given to those reluctant to put their lives on the line for ungrateful Moroi. Guardian punishments were no longer mundane things such as being stuck in filing, but more active, such as being put in a group to go hunt Strigoi. While some people might find those battles glamorous, those forced into it did not. However, it had the desired affect; few guardians stepped out of line.

"Earth to Rose!" I blinked back into now as Mason snapped his fingers in front of my face.

"You can stop that now," I snapped, batting his hand away.

"Well, you weren't answering," Mason protested.

I rolled my eyes, but didn't reply. The table was now filled by Mason, Eddie, Mia, and Meredith, fellow novice.

"Hey, did you do the math homework last night?" Mason asked.

I sighed and checked my bag. "No, I did not," I said. "What an odd question for you to ask me."

Mason chuckled. "Well, ever since Belikov became your mentor, you became all responsible Rose, doing your homework and all, so I was hoping you had," he remarked.

I sniggered. "If you hadn't noticed, my mentor has been gone for the last three days. I don't make a habit of doing my homework unless he's hounding me."

"Hey, did you guys hear that we might get a new kid after winter break?" Mia, notorious for gossip and knowing everything about everyone, asked, leaning forward. She was the only one who had an inkling about the fact that Dimitri and I might have something more than friendship going on. She'd confronted me about it earlier in the year. Though I didn't tell her any definites, she always gave us these knowing looks.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Who is going to join the school that late in the year?"

Mia's eyes gleamed. "I heard tell that he was an Ozera and that he got kicked out of his last school for setting someone on fire," she said conspiratorially.

"Sounds like my kind of guy," I joked.

Mia turned to me, her eyes now amused. "Oh, I'm sure your kind of guy is a bit tougher and hotter - maybe a dhampir? I don't see you as a mother." She smirked at me playfully.

I forced myself not to blush or look at Dimitri. I was saved from answering by Mason.

"Hey, that could be me," he exclaimed. "I'm a dhampir, I'm tough, and you really can't get any hotter than this." He gestured to his body, causing all of us to laugh.

"Sure, Mase, whatever you say," I said indulgently.

The bell rang, ending breakfast.

I walked Lissa to her first class, Dimitri showing us.

"You know Rose, Mia was right about one thing. I really don't see you as the motherly type," Lissa mused.

I shrugged. "Neither do I," I replied.

"I hope you do find love, though." Lissa smiled wistfully. She was an utter romantic, completely in love with the idea of love.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Oh, I'm sure someday it'll happen," I conceded as we reached her classroom.

Lissa turned astonished eyes at me. "What?" she spluttered. "Every other time I mention love to you, you laugh! What-"

"I gotta go!" I cut her off, backing away. She gave me a look that said _we're not done with this._ I hoped that she would forget about my slip.

* * *

The day moved normally after that. Lunch went by without any mentions of love, as did dinner.

Lissa had a report to work on, giving me an easy out to spend the evening with Dimitri. After helping (read: forcing) me do my homework, we jumped into bed, still making up for not seeing each other for three days. If only we knew how much horror and heartbreak the next day would bring, we would have run while we had a chance.

* * *

_A/N: Hm. Sorry for the long wait :P I got a bit distracted by school and my other stories :/ But I have the next chapter written for this, so you'll get the update asap, once I edit of course. And the chapter after that, I already have started(: I think I'm going to write that, then write the next chapter for Never Too Late :D Or maybe NTL will come first (;_

_ Please like my facebook page. You'll links to my updates and hear news about what I'm doing. The link to it is on my profile. Just click and like! :D_

_ Thank you all for your reviews(: They're all wonderful :D Eagerly awaiting to hear what you think(:_

_ xoxoxoxo_

_ -Tatiana_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own VA :P  
RPOV:

I woke up early the next morning to a knock on the door. Next to me, Dimitri groaned and rolled over, pulling me closer to his chest. The knock sounded again. Dimitri let out a sigh and gave me an apologetic smile.

"I know, I know," I mumbled, rolling over him. He let out a small 'oof.' "In the closet I go."  
I'd had to hide so often in the closet that I simply kept a change of clothes and a blanket and pillow to curled up on until whoever was knocking left.

I could hear Dimitri moving around outside the door, then the muffled voices as he answered the door.

"Do you mind if I come in?" The voice was surprisingly clear, or maybe not so much, since the door was pretty thin.

"Uh, sure, sir," Dimitri replied.

I frowned. Who was the other person?

"As you know, there has been talking amongst the council to allow dhampir/Moroi relationships, but the safety of the Moroi is a concern. Will the guardian be too busy checking out his charge to check out for danger? So I have devised a way to stop all this silliness and also help said relationships be much more accepted. After all, if the daughter of Prince Dragomir is married to a dhampir, surely it's okay?" _Prince Dragomir? Is that him? What's Lissa's dad doing talking to Dimitri? Marriage?! _My thoughts raced, almost causing me to miss the next words said.

"I see, sir, but I fail to understand what that has to do with me?" Dimitri replied, sounding properly baffled.

"Well, you see, my daughter is not in love with anyone, be they dhampir or Moroi. That's where you come in. You are her guardian already and so protective. Clearly, you are very in love with her, and she with you. So it won't come as much of a shock when you propose to her using your grandmother's ring, which I know you have," Eric said, sounding utterly serious.

"Sir, I don't-"

Eric cut him off. "I have already spoke to your family about the love you share with my daughter. They have given their blessing. So I hope to hear soon that my daughter is engaged, and the proposal so beautiful it brought tears of happiness and love into her eyes."

"But sir, your daughter and I aren't in love," Dimitri protested.

"That can be easily fixed. Lissa says so many wonderful things about you; your marriage will work. And if it doesn't, there's always Tasha Ozera's relationship. Not to say that it won't. I meant in the case of Lissa meeting someone with whom she falls in love with. But I doubt it will happen." Eric sighed happily. "Her best friend and husband protecting her; my daughter will be the safest person in the world."

I felt sickened. I couldn't believe he was doing this! Of course, the only way the marriage wouldn't work would be if _she_ met someone; Dimitri's feeling wouldn't even be considered.

"But sir-" Dimitri began again, sounding desperate. Rightfully so, too. We were so happy, everything was working out so perfectly. It was cruel to rip it all away from us. A hole began to form in my chest, a hole of despair.

"There will be no buts. Let me put it into terms you will understand. You will propose to my daughter within the next week using the ring your grandmother gave you, or else you will no longer have your guardian title because you will either be in prison for treason or six feet under." Eric's voice sounded menacing now.

"Do you understand?"

"I - yes," Dimitri said softly.

"Good." I heard his footsteps across the room, then the door opened and closed.

I waited until I was positively sure he was gone before leaving the closet.

Dimitri was simply sitting on the bed, staring blankly at the wall.

"Dimitri?" I said softly, coming up to him. He didn't react until I weaved a hand into his hair.

He looked up. "He was joking, right?" Dimitri looked at me pleadingly. He suddenly slid off the bed to stand on his knees in front of me, clutching my legs. His upturned face started into mine desperately, like a five year old whose mother died. "I love you, Roza. Not Lissa. I won't have to marry her right? We'll find a way out, right?"

I nodded frantically, desperately. "We will, don't worry. Of course we will. This won't happen, I won't let it." I assured him and myself. _No way. We'll find a way out. _

"I don't want to marry her," he said softly, horror coloring his voice as the situation fully sunk in. Tears formed in his eyes.

"You won't," I said fiercely, although I couldn't keep the tears from gathering, ready to fall at the slightest nudge. Silence reigned the room for several minutes.

"There's no way out, is there?" His voice hollow, he looked at me with horror and devastation plain on his face.

I nodded slowly; there was no point in lying. "No," I whispered, and I could hear the horror and devastation in my own voice. The tears escaped.

That was the first time I had ever seen Dimitri Belikov cry.

* * *

Short chapter, I know. But, well, it's sad :P Thank you to Dimkaisshmexy24 for making my day with all of your reviews! I love you, you know that? :D You're amazing and I loved every one of them :D

Like my Facebook page, Tatiana Belikova-Fanfcition! You'll get updated, you can look at the pics, you'll get an inside scoop of what's happening and what's getting updated next and other little tidbits :D The link to it is on my profile :P

Xoxoxo

-Tatiana


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own VA; a ginger with a soul (one of a kind) wrote the entire series.

RPOV:

For the first time in as long as I'd known Dimitri, he took a day off. I joined him, neither of us ready to face the world just yet.

In a last ditch effort to change Prince Dragomir's mind, I caught up with him before he could leave.

"Prince Dragomir!" I called, running up to him.

"Rose! What a lovely surprise." Eric Dragomir's green eyes sparkled down at me. "You should know better; call me Eric."

"Okay," I said, slightly out of breath. "I just wanted to say, well, ask, really. The marriage you proposed between Dim - Guardian Belikov and Lissa. Is that so wise? I mean, they barely know each other and -"

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Eric cut me off, no longer smiling.

Startled at his abruptness, I backpedaled a bit. "Well, I was just thinking that-"

"How do you know of it?" His eyes narrowed.

I swallowed. "Well, Di-Guardian Belikov approached me this morning, asking for advice." When Eric didn't say anything, I hurried on. "I was just wondering about the sanity of this. I mean, Lissa isn't in love with him, and-"

Eric cut me off again. "Rose, I think you're on a path to a wonderful future. You shouldn't do anything to jeopardize it."

I froze at his barely concealed threat. Was he really saying that? Was he really threatening me?

Eric stopped too. He turned to me, his eyes serious. "I think you should help Guardian Belikov with his proposal; he was right to ask you. you know Lissa best, and I'm sure you can help him come up with a proposal worthy of a princess."

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. "Does-does is have to be public?" _Please say no, please say no._

Eric appraised me. "No, I suppose not. After all, this isn't exactly allowed. But then, forbidden love is the best of its kind." He smiled thinly.

_ You don't say,_ I thought bitterly.

"Is that all?" he asked.

I nodded, my face blank.

"Alright. And you're still staying here for the holidays?"

I nodded again. Even if Dimitri was technically engaged to Lissa didn't mean he couldn't go to see his family and I tag along.

"Alright then. Good-bye."

"Bye, Eric," I said quietly.

* * *

I trudged back to Dimitri's room. How no one saw me, I'm not sure. Or maybe they did, but pitied me and let me go. Whatever the case, I was able to make it to his room unobstructed, in a daze.

I entered Dimitri's room silently. Dimitri was sitting on the bed, his head buried in his hands. When he heard the door open, he looked up hopefully.

I looked at him sadly and shook my head. His head fell back.

Seeing him so upset and destroyed made my heart ache. He was so strong, so controlled, so almost larger than life, sometimes I forgot that he was only dhampir. I came up to him just like after Eric left and ran my hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

Dimitri lifted his head, displacing my hand. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Roza. It's me who should be sorry." His eyes were red-rimmed from his tears.

We were always so focused on what would happen after graduation, the thought that we might not make it to graduation never crossed our mind. Being discovered, being reassigned; none of it was ever on our radar.

"No, Dimitri. It's out of your control, it's out of my control. I'm sure that this has been planned for a while now." I sighed and sat down on the bed. Dimitri put his arm around me and pulled me into his chest.

"What did he say?" Dimitri asked.

"That he thought it was a great idea and that I should help you with the proposal. It doesn't have to be public, by the way." I avoided telling him about the fact that Eric had threatened my future; I knew that Dimitri was willing to give up his for me, but would never risk mine. I was banking on the fact that he was too upset to realise I was hiding something.

"I know you're leaving something out." Well, there goes that hope. "Is it something I need to know?" Dimitri pulled away to look me in the eye.

I hesitated for a second. Does he really need to know this? No, no he doesn't. I shook my head. "No, it's nothing important."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're still lying?" Dimitri's eyes narrowed.

"Dimitri, it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that you're going to get married in a matter of months," I said forcefully.

"What? How do you know it's a matter of months?" Dimitri exclaimed.

I sighed again. "Because Eric is going to want this out as soon as possible. He'll want you two married and showing the world how well you work. And, of course, produce some babies while you're at it." The thought of Dimitri making love with Lissa made me nauseous. One look at Dimitri's face showed he was feeling the same.

"But I don't want it," Dimitri said stubbornly, like a child.

I couldn't help but smile at his antics. "Comrade, if I have anything to do with this, you won't. Don't forget, I'm her best friend. I'm sure I can convince her that this wedding is a bad idea. But first..." I Took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "First we have to write you a proposal."

Dimitri frowned. "The only time I want to propose is to you. Because I love you, not because my other option is death."

I put my hand on his face. "I know, sweetheart. And as much as it will kill me to hear you propose to someone else - my best friend no less - you have to, or else you will end up dead." I couldn't even consider that option. The mere idea of it was so mind boggling and panic inducing that my mind instinctively shied away from it.

Dimitri leaned his head into my hand. "I'm sorry for freaking out like this. It should be you freaking out, not me. I'm supposed to be strong and make it easier on you, not make you run around, trying to fix my problems, risking your future."

I stiffened as he said the last part. How did he know?

"He threatened your future?" Dimitri's voice wasn't loud, but it was powerful.

I cringed. "Well, not in so many words..." I said sheepishly.

Dimitri pulled away to look at me. "Rose, it's not funny. i won't risk your future-"

"-And that's exactly why I didn't tell you," I cut him off. "Dimitri, my future is my future. I don't care what you think. I don't want to lose you, because if you end up having to marry her and there's nothing I -we can do about it, I don't think I'm going to be able to stick around and watch you play happy family," I snapped.

Dimitri blinked at me, shocked. "Rose-"

"No, Dimitri. We're either in this together, or not at all," I said firmly.

Dimitri stared at me in awe for a moment before his lips came crashing down on mine. We kissed fiercely for several minutes, letting our lips do the talking. Love and despair and desperation and pain and hope all filled the kiss. So many emotions at once made my head spin, but in a good way. Suddenly, I couldn't get close enough to him. I pulled his shirt off just as he reached for mine. Clothes began flying everywhere as I back up further onto the bed, pulling him with me. Foreplay was nowhere on our minds as our hands grabbed and pulled, trying to get closer, trying to feel more skin.

**M ish scene! nothing...descriptive, promise! :D**

Once all of our clothes were off, our bodies completely wrapped around each other. I didn't know where he began and I ended. We just kept kissing and touching, never close enough. Finally, we had to pull away for air, but even then we kept kissing, Dimitri moving down my neck to my shoulder while I kissed his neck. Dimitri pulled away briefly just to make sure I was ready. Once he was sure of that, he plunged in and just stopped. Everything still. Nothing matter in that moment but our connection, physical, emotional, and psychological. We simply lay there for an unmeasurable amount of time, staring into each others eyes, connected in the most intimate way. The feelings between us intensified until it got too much and friction was need.

As we moved against each other, our bodies took over, setting a past pace, trying to get ever closer. Though I wanted to slow down, to savor this moment, my body had other ideas.

"Dimitri!" I cried out, clutching him. My nails dug into his back as my legs tightened around him, to the point I fear they would break him in half.

"Roza," Dimitri grunted, his arms completely encircling me, keeping me in the tight cocoon of his body.

"Oh, Dimitri," I sighed as my body wound even tighter, tighter than it ever had before.

"Oh just a bit, hold on," Dimitri said through gritted teeth, sweat gathering on his forehead.

I tried to hold on, tried to make it last longer, but as Dimitri spend up more, to speeds I never thought were physically possible, I could no longer hold it off.

I captured Dimitri in a kiss burning with passion. I was sure there was steam coming off of us, the blanket below us about to catch fire.

I needed to breath but I needed release and I wanted Dimitri. I couldn't stop kissing him because if I did I would die and I was climbing higher and higher and he was all I could smell, his moan all I could hear and I never wanted this to end but I needed it to because if it didn't I would die, and Oh!

Wonderful warmth and happiness and release and love and satisfaction surrounded me. Dimitri collapsed on top of me, catching himself on his arms at the last instant. I kept myself wrapped around him, not willing to let go just yet. Dimitri touched his forehead to mine.

**Tis over :D**

Opening my eyes, I smiled at him contently. Dimitri grinned back.

"I love you, so, so much," he whispered tenderly.

"I love you too, Comrade," I whispered back, love flowing out of my voice.

Dimitri gave me his full grin, lighting the room even more. Though it was the middle of the night - day in the vampire world - the room seemed so bright. Though the overhead light was on, the light came from us. Not physically, of course, but it seemed that way.

Everything was so bright and happy and loving. I wished it would never end.

Dimitri started moving and I clung to him, not wanting to be separated. We ended up with him on his back and me lying on his chest, still connected.

"Let's never leave this room. Let's just stay like this forever," I murmured, closing my eyes.

"Okay," Dimitri murmured in agreement. It seemed as if we were both afraid that speaking out loud would ruin the moment. "We'll never leave here. We'll just stay like this forever and ever and a day."

I nodded against his chest and he sighed happily. For just a little bit, all the problems went away. For just a little bit, we focused on our little world, our little piece of heaven.

* * *

Unfortunately, the next day, all of our problems came crashing down again. We put it off for as long as we could, calling in another sick day even, but now, several hours after dunner, we were finally dealing with the issue. Sort of.

"What should I say, Roza? You know her better than I do," Dimitri said, slightly frustrated.

We were sitting at his desk, a blank piece of paper in front of him. He had to write a perfect marriage proposal to which Lissa could say nothing but yes. The difficult part was making sure Dimitri appeared to mean it.

"Hmm...let's see...um, well." I paused for a moment to think. "Start of by saying something like...Lissa Dragomir, form the first moment I laid eyes on you, I thought -no, wait, I knew you were the one. Your beauty rivals with the sun, you are the light of my day. Um..."

Dimitri was writing furiously everything I was saying, scratching things out when I corrected myself.

"How about...um, crap! We never spend any time together." Dimitri scowled in frustration. "How are we supposed to pull off a convincing engagement and marriage if-oh, right, it's secret." He sighed. "Alright, um, how about...whenever you walk into the room, you become the focus of my attention?"

I stared at him. "Wow. That was...totally unpoetic. Dimitri, you have to make it flowery. 'Focus of my attention' is up there with 'your dress looks pretty.' Pretend that you are proposing to me," I suggested.

"Rose, first, I don't want to do that because then when I propose to you it won't be as special. And second, if I do that, I'll use your name, and then it'll be all sorts of awkward." Dimitri groaned. "This isn't working."

"Dimitri, you're not going to die. I won't let you. Well, how about...'the moment you walk into any room, the world ceases to exist. You are the center of my universe. Every moment I spend with you, I cherish. There will never be anyone I love more than you. Will you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?' There, perfect. I hope you wrote that down," I snapped, annoyed and tired and in the mood to curl up into a little ball and cry my eyes out.

Dimitri put his pen down and turned to me, grabbing my hands. "Roza, remember, you're the one putting the words in my mouth, not me. I don't mean any of it. You have to know that." He looked at me so earnestly and honestly, I couldn't help but relax.

"I'm sorry, hon. I'm just..." I closed my eyes wearily.

"I understand, love. I hate this too. But we'll find a way out, don't worry." Dimitri pulled me into his lap and held me tight.

I closed my eyes and just reveled in the closeness. Tomorrow, Dimitri would have to propose to my best friend. Tomorrow, Dimitri would officially be someone else's. But today he was still mine. And until the day he said his wedding vows, he would still be mine.

* * *

Yay! Next chapter! Thank you everyone for your reviews! Make sure to leave one telling me what you think(:


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own VA :(

The next day, Lissa came up to me in the middle of breakfast. Or should I say more precisely, floated?

She looked like she was on cloud 9, her face radiating happiness, her eyes sparkling, and she was walking with a grace I had never witnessed before.

"Wow, what happened to you?" I asked, shocked.

Lissa smiled brilliantly. "You'll never guess what!" she whispered, sitting next to me.

I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly why she was happy. I slapped a smile on my face. "What?"

"I'm engaged!" she gushed excitedly, showing me her ring.

My stomach dropped at the sight of it, but then I realised it wasn't that old. In fact, it looked fairly new. The thought that Dimitri managed to get a newer ring for Lissa and not give her his grandmother's made my mood lift, just a little. Enough so I could put on a shocked face.

"What!" I cried out.

"Sshh!" Lissa shushed me, glancing around furtively. We didn't get much attention, thankfully.

"Liss, what are you talking about?" I demanded in a whisper. Out of the corner of my eye, I say movement and glanced up to see Dimitri standing against the wall, just like any other day. He caught my eye and grimaced slightly. I gave him a sad half smile in return.

"Guardian Belikov - well, Dimitri, I suppose - proposed to me!" she cried out quietly.

"W-what?" Even though I knew it was coming, the words didn't hurt any less.

Lissa nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, Rose, it was so beautiful! The words he used, and how passionate he looked." She sighed happily, a dreamy looking coming onto her face.

_Of course it was beautiful; I told him what to say, knowing exactly what you wanted to hear, _I thought bitterly. I suddenly had a flash of how I would look like if Dimitri had proposed to me. I was sure I'd be jumping up and down with happiness screaming it out to the world.

I shook off the image and focused on Operation Convince Lissa this is a bad idea.

"Lissa, I didn't even know you guys were friends!" I exclaimed.

Lissa looked at me shyly. "Well, we're not exactly in love, but I'm sure we'll fall in love eventually. I mean, we'll be married." She looked _so _happy saying those words.

"Then why are you getting married?" I asked, confused.

Lissa shrugged, playing with her ring. "Daddy said before he left yesterday that he needed me to help with the whole Moroi/dhampir relationship issue. I see what he meant now. But Rose, you have to understand. Daddy needs me to do this, and it'll help you!" She smiled at me innocently. "Oh, when you fall in love with some rich Moroi, it'll be okay for you to be with him because I would have set the standard. You know how Moroi are. Next thing you know, everyone will be wanting a dhampir husband."

She looked so happy and excited, for a moment I couldn't imagine taking it away from her. If it meant I was unhappy, what did it matter? She was happy, and that's what counted. After all, I was just some dhampir. _They come first._ Dimitri and I shouldn't even be together in the first place.

_What are you talking about?! _The sane - or maybe insane? - part of me screamed. _Of course it's okay for you to be together - you love each other! Just because you're dhampirs doesn't mean you deserve love any less!_

I sighed. _But is it all worth? _I asked doubtfully. _I don't think we'll be able to be together, no matter what we say or try. _

_So you're just going to give up, is that right?_

_No, just try to prepare myself for the inevitable, _I replied sadly.

_You don't know that. You and Dimitri will make it through. _

I blinked and my eyes focused on Dimitri. He was staring at me intently, as if trying to send a message. I realised what I had been thinking, and looked down, ashamed. Of course Dimitri and I would make. Lissa didn't really love him, so the only thing that would hurt would be Eric's anger, and even that would be directed at her,but at us. We were going to make through this, I decided with renewed determination. For half a second, I considered telling Lissa about my love for Dimitri in hopes that she would convince her father otherwise, but realised that if she were to tell him she didn't want to marry Dimitri, he would ask why, and all of our careful hiding would be blown apart and we would be separated. Nothing would change, except for our chance to be together would be nonexistent. I sighed.

"Rose?"

I focused on Lissa. "Yeah?"

Lissa looked at me, concern plain in her eyes. "You went into your own world for a moment there and it looked really painful."

I shook my head. "It's nothing," I mumbled.

"Rose, don't give me that, I know something is really wrong," Lissa said sternly.

I hesitated. This was one of the things I loved about Lissa. She knew when something was wrong and wouldn't leave me alone until I told her what it was. She wasn't like most Royals, in her own little world where everything was perfect and any concern was fake.

"I just..." I trailed off with another sigh. "There's someone..."

"Oh? A someone?" Lissa arched her eyebrow playfully.

A smile curved my lips involuntarily. "Yeah, there's a someone. But not for long. He's with another girl." Well, mostly the truth.

Lissa nodded thoughtfully. "Are they happy?"

I hesitated again. "Well, she's really happy, and I don't want to take it away from her. Plus...I don't think we can be together."

Lissa frowned and opened her mouth to probe for more, but the arrival of the rest of our friends interrupted her.

"So, it's been set in stone," Mia announced. "Christian Ozera is going to be joining the school after Christmas and- what is that on your finger?" She was staring at the engagement ring on Lissa's finger.

An excited smile lit up Lissa face again, and she opened her mouth to tell the table about it. That's when I knew any chance of me telling her was gone. If everyone knew, there was no way to stop it. Eric wouldn't stop it even under her request, claiming that the general public knew, so they couldn't terminate the arrangement. Damn the Royals, damn them all to hell.

* * *

Well, there you have it(: Thank you to kcripep (yeah...I'm so mean to them...), Guest, Rose-loves-Dimitri (I hope you're okay! o.O), Guest (who agreed with Do'B. Lol, I can't kill the villain...), Guest (with the awesome plan part of which gave me an idea I shall use in the story...), Dimkaisshmexy24 (I'm sorry I made you cry! She doesn't know Chris yet...), RozaRocks (does this chappie explain? :D), Do'B (you shall see what they think in a bit(: I dislike Rose getting pregnant by Dimitri while being dhampirs. I use that sparingly, sorry :/), XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX, Guest Molly (nah...), Kaylee and Kenny forever (love ya, too, girly :3), Mori Belicov Hathaway (she's naive :P), Kasie759, Kourage215, RozaHathaway17 (sorry I didn't use the lemon! I just...eh. I'll maybe put it in the chapter, but now...mer. I might use it still, though! I'm not too good at them :/), TheBookShelf (:3), LolitaPop27 (Dimitri took over for that one! xD), VampireFreakXoxoxo, rose-hathaway123, missvalover94, and the various other guests who reviewed previous chapters for reviewing. Thank you! I'll start doing this every chapter so I don't have a list a mile long like this! lol.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own VA

"Dimitri, should we really be doing this still?" I wondered he lay in my bed that night.

Dimitri shrugged, a movement I felt by my own body as I was laying on top of him. "To me, what I have will Lissa is nothing more than a business deal. There's nothing there. We have nothing. I love you, and I'm going to be with you until I can no longer or I'm dead. whichever comes first."

I lifted myself up on my elbow and leaned over him, my hair swinging like a curtain, shutting out the world. "Don't say things like that," I chastised.

Dimitri shrugged again. "It's the truth. Eric said that unless I marry his daughter, I'm going to be stripped of my title and thrown in jail or killed. I'm not marrying her, so..." he trailed off, twirling a piece of my hair with his finger.

"We're going to find a way out of this. Until then, stay with her. As long as you're with her, you're safe. Promise me."

Dimitri searched my eyes before nodding. "I promise."

I shook my head and sat up, keeping the blanket covering my chest. Dimitri sat up with me. "No, saw it. Say the words," I said sternly, looking into his eyes.

Dimitri grabbed my hands and stared back. "I promise that I will stay with Lissa to keep myself safe for you," he recited.

I nodded. "Good. Now you have to keep it."

Dimitri smiled at me, amused.

I frowned back. "Dimitri, it's not funny. I love you. You are the best thing that has happened to me, better than even Lissa. Lissa took me in when I had no family, but you are the one who gave me a family. I don't know what I'd do without you." I glanced away.

"Roza..." Dimitri sighed and gathered me up in his arms. "I love you too, so much. I'm sorry I'm not being serious. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep myself safe so that I can be with you. And I promise to keep that promise." He kissed me gently on the lips.

I cuddled into his chest, letting him comfort me.

"Are we still going to Russia for Christmas?" I asked after a long period of silence.

"Mmhmm," Dimitri murmured.

You would think that with both of us naked, barely a blanket between us, it would be either uncomfortable or arousing, but we'd been together so many times and seen each other in so many different ways that it was just natural

"Do you think I should tell Lissa that Eric threatened you into this?" I wondered out loud.

Dimitri shrugged. "What good would it do? He already said that he would do anything to make this marriage go forth, even if it means reassigning you. I don't think there's anything he _won't _do. What I want to know is _why _he's so set on this. I mean, what's in it for him?" Dimitri mused.

It was my turn to shrug. "Well, Lissa is his little girl and she's been talking about marriage since she knew what marriage was - about twelve years old. But Eric and I and even Andre have protected her so much that the most time she's spent around guys is at dances and at social events - and most of them were old. I guess in our quest to keep Lissa from getting hurt or taken advantage of, we made her a bit like a mouse. She's shy around guys, except for our friends. She has no idea how to act around them or what to say. So her arranged marriage to you seems like a blessing to her, a way out of the awkward talk and need to date," I explained glumly.

"Maybe if we convince her, or find so many for her to fall in love with someone else...?" he trailed off questioningly.

I nodded. "That would be the best solution now. She told all of our friends that you two were engaged, so the whole school will know by the end of the week, which is exactly what Eric wanted. Of course, nothing will be definite, it will be rumors, which will make the moment this becomes public that much sweeter. If the daughter of Prince Dragomir can get married to a lowly dhampir, to love one, of course that's okay!" I shook my head, disgusted.

Dimitri squeezed me comfortingly. "We'll find a way out, don't worry," he assured me.

"Can we stop talking about it?" I asked softly. It was bringing my mood down, wearing me thin. I didn't want to think about Dimitri marrying my sister. I didn't want to think about them sharing a bed, having children, something the two of us would never have.

"Sure, love." Dimitri kissed me on the forehead, then laid us down. "We should get to sleep, anyway. Both of us have had a long day."

I nodded, closing my eyes obligingly.

Listening to Dimitri's strong heartbeat was the best lullaby, and within minutes, I was out like a candle in a hurricane.

* * *

DPOV:

_I woke up slowly. My arms were around my Roza, her back pressed against my chest and her hair tickling my nose. I smiled, content. I kept my eyes closed, not ready to get up yet. _

_In my arms, Rose stirred. My grip on her tightened._

"_We need to get up, sweetie," her sweet voice seemed as if it was being filtered through something, sounding different than usual._

"_Just a bit more," I mumbled._

_She laughed, sounding _off. "_Get up, Dimitri."_

_My eyes snapped open. That wasn't my Roza. I sat up abruptly and was faced with large stomach. My eyes traveled up, up a small waist out of which the stomach jutted out, small breasts, milky white skin, long neck covered in blond hair, and finishing with Vasilisa Dragomir's vibrant green eyes._

"_Come on, sleepy head. We have an appointment." She hauled herself out of bed as I stared in horror._

_A knock on the door distracted my thoughts._

"_Are you guys decent?" An angelic voice called through, the door opening._

_Lissa laughed. "Yes!" She looked so happy. _

_Rose walked into the room. The breath was knocked out of me. "Roza." Her name was barely a whisper, but she still heard me._

_Her head snapped over to look at me and I was met with a pair of once bright eye now dulled down with sadness and pain._

"_Hey, comrade," she said lightly, a sad smile on her lips._

_I blinked up at her, unable to speak. She seemed to focus on something on me and grimaced, her eyes suddenly bright with jealousy and a pain so sharp, I felt it, like an arrow being shot from her eyes into my heart._

"_I thought you said you two were decent," Rose snapped._

_Lissa turned to her with surprise._

_I looked down and realised I was naked beneath the covers. _

I woke up, my body covered in sweat. My breathing was labored as I tried to shake the dream from my mind, but the horror vision wouldn't fade. The look of torture in my Roza's eyes would take a long time to forget.

I looked to my right, making sure the familiar brown hair and beautiful face was beside me. I ran a hand through her silky hair, assuring myself she was real and not a figment of my imagination. Her hair looked like melted dark chocolate had been woven with magic into hair. Stunning. I continued running my fingers through it, calming myself.

"Comrade?" Rose's voice mumbled sleepily as she sat up, displacing my hand. She shivered as the blanket fell away from her, and snatched up my shirt, which was on the floor by the bed. She pulled it on. "What are you doing awake?"

The dream, the nightmare, came flooding back. I pulled her into my chest, clinging to her like a child. I was so afraid that it would become reality, that I would lose the only thing that had been keeping me together for the last year and a half, the feeling was suffocating. It choked me as I burrowed my face into Rose's neck., taking in her familiar scent. Automatically, Rose began stroking my hair in comfort.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked gently.

I felt so weak in that moment, so weak I was ashamed and hated myself. I was disgusted. I was a man, I was supposed to be strong, able to handle everything. Protect Rose from any pain. Yet here I was, leaning on her for support. I pulled away abruptly. It didn't matter that she had been the only thing to keep me together after my best friend and charge died. It didn't matter that she was the one I went to for help when my father came back. It didn't matter that it was with her help that I finally healed all the hurt my father had caused, the scarring things I had witnessed as a child. I was the one who was supposed to help her. She was the one who was losing me to her best friend. I wasn't supposed to cry and snivel and complain about it. I had no right, as long as Rose didn't. And if Rose did cry and scream and complain, then it was my job to help her. There was no room for weakness in this situation. I vowed in that moment to be stronger, to do everything within my power to stay with Rose.

"Dimitri?" Her low voice jarred my thoughts.

"I'm sorry for waking you." I winced at the cool, even tone of my voice. I didn't have to to look at her to know she was hurt. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," I repeated in a whisper. "I just - I just had a nightmare and..." I swallowed, turning to her finally.

"Comrade, don't shut me out. Not now," Rose pleaded.

I shook my head. "I'm not, I'm just...I'm trying to be strong, but it's _so damn hard._" I clenched my hands into fists, trying to contain my anger at myself.

"Dimitri." Rose crawled over to sit in my lap. She put her hands on either side of my face and forced me to look at her. "You don't always have to be strong, you know. You've been so strong and given me so much. It's my turn. Now tell me about your dream." Her tone left no room for questions.

I sighed and explained my dream to her. I watched as her face paled and her eyes watered. "I'll never let that happen," I declared fiercely. "Never, ever, ever."

"Okay," she replied in a small voice.

I cupped her face between my hands. "Roza, I will never let that happen. How many times do I have to tell you? I'll run away into the human world with you before I marry Lissa."

Rose shook her head. "No, you can't! You love guarding as much as I! You can't give that up, Dimitri. It's your life - literally."

Rose was right; giving up being a guardian would be a great sacrifice. However, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make, as long as I got to stay with Rose.

"Rose, I would be willing to give it up if it meant I could stay with you," I replied.

Rose shook her head again. "No, if anyone is giving up their career, it's me. You've worked so hard for this, gone through so much shit. At least for me, this life was handed on a silver freaking platter by my mother when she dropped me off. You, you've had to fight for it, go through so many obstacle, which is why you're one of the best damn guardians out there." She looked so serious in that moment, so determined, I couldn't argue. All I could do was pull her into my arms and hold her tight, and hope everything would be alright.

* * *

What do you think? I wasn't going to do DPOV at all in the story, but this was necessary. I wanted you guys to see it from his point of view :P And the dream...well, that was really the only part I wanted to write in his POV, lol.

Thank you to kcripep (she's...not trying to be a b*tch...she's just naive. :P), Dimkaisshmexy24 (Oh, no, I hope you're still alive! Lol. I'm glad you didn't cry(:), Molly, RozaRocks (yes, she does realise. You'll see more next chapter. Christian will appear...after Christmas, which is next chapter :P), Maris Belikov, Guest (she's not going to 'date' Chris; she's with Dimitri...) and shadow-kissed angel (I like child-like Dimitri too :D he's adorable :P) for reviewing!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own VA.

RPOV:

I danced around my room, 'Bad Girls' by M. I. A. blaring into my ears. Lissa had given me the MP3 player for my last birthday, giving up on iPods. They were just too fragile for my lifestyle.

"Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well," I sang along, throwing a shirt into my open duffel bag. "My chain hits my chest when I'm banging on the dashboard, my chain hits my chest when I'm banging on the radio!"

I felt eyes on me and knew it was Dimitri form the tingling feeling. "You know, Dimitri, it's rude to stare," I said casually, unable to hear my own voice over the music.

I turned to him with a smile. He looked stunned, as I expected. His mouth moved as he said something, then looked at me expectantly.

I pulled out one headphone. "What?"

Dimitri smiled and shook his head. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Almost," I replied, throwing a pair of jeans on the growing pile of clothing.

Christmas vacation began yesterday, and today we would be heading to the airport to fly to Russia. The last two weeks had been a bit awkward around Lissa. Since their 'relationship' was 'secret,' they weren't together in public. Unfortunately, Dimitri was still overseeing our movie get-together, well, any get-togethers, really, which meant that all of our friends allowed them to act like a couple. Emphasis on _act_. Lissa really had no idea what she was doing.

_It was three days since Lissa got engaged to Dimitri, and we decided to watch a movie. As soon as Dimitri and I walked into the lounge, the cat-calls started. Every guy in the room immediately came up to Dimitri and threatened him in some way, warning him of what would happen if he hurt Lissa. _

_Lissa sat on the couch as usual. Mason convinced Dimitri to sit next to Lissa._

"_It's alright," he said. "We know you guys are engaged. You can act like a couple."_

_Dimitri nodded, guardian mask firmly in place, but I could see the distaste in his eyes. I went to sit next to him, but Lissa stopped me._

"_Sit by me?" she looked at me pleadingly._

_I hesitated. "But I - alright," I sighed._

_I sat next to her. As soon as the movie started, she leaned into me. "Rose, what do I do?" she breathed, panicked._

"_What do you mean?" I mumbled back._

"_I mean, do I hold his hand? Put my head on his shoulder? Cuddle with him? What does Dad want us to do?" Her eyes were wide, terrified._

_I sighed. "Hold his hand," I whispered, gritting my teeth._

"_What if he doesn't want to?" she whispered back._

"_Then don't hold hands," I said simply._

"_But we have to act like an in love couple!" she whisper-yelled in my ear, the movie covering her voice. "What will Daddy say if he hears I'm not putting in the effort? He'll be so disappointed. I mean, after Andre, he's...well, you know. I'm afraid he'll hurt himself." Lissa was so concerned for her father, and to be honest, I was too. Andre had run off with a human whom he'd fallen for, shaming Eric. To the general public, Andre was studying abroad. After that, Eric got sick for a week straight, pale and sweating, throwing up and feverish. The whole Dragomir household was terrified that he'd die, even me. He wasn't my father, but he was as close to an uncle as I would ever have. Nowadays, he seemed just a bit frantic to make something out of Lissa. _

_I sighed. "Hold his hand. He...won't mind," I muttered. _

_Hesitantly, Lissa slipped her hand into his, holding it like a five year old. Dimitri looked down at their hands as if an alien had touched him, then back at her wordlessly. He raised his eyes to meet mine and grimaced. Dimitri gave a slight sigh and took his hand away from hers before linking their fingers together. I looked away._

"_I don't think he likes me very much," Lissa mumbled, sounding sad._

_I hated when she was sad. "What makes you think that?" _

_Lissa shrugged. "He's so...cold to me. Do you think he wants someone else?" Her eyes were fearful again, yet resigned._

_Another chance. "Maybe," I said slowly._

"_Maybe I should ask him. If he is, it's not fair to him to have to marry me. Maybe I can convince Daddy otherwise." Lissa smiled happily, but the hurt was still in her eyes, the insecurity._

_My stomach tightened as I remembered what had happened to put the insecurity in her mind in the first place. Aaron, the scum of the earth. He'd played Lissa when she was just thirteen. Being older and gorgeous, Lissa had instantly fallen for him. However, when Aaron wanted more and Lissa was unwilling to give it to him, he'd dumped her, after chipping away at her self-esteem. It was half the reason everyone kept men away from her. _

"_Liss, if he loves someone else, it's not your fault," I assured her. "It just means he loves someone else. I think...I mean, will Eric agree? If that's the case, I mean."_

_Lissa shrugged. "I can convince him, I'm sure. I'm sure Daddy can find someone else for me to marry." _

_In that moment, I love Lissa more than I had ever in my life._

She'd talked to her father, but I never found out what he'd said. When I asked her, she'd simply shrugged and said that he'd think about it. She'd looked troubled, which made me wonder what exactly Eric had told her. She adored her father, so I couldn't find it in me to tell her Eric had threatened Dimitri. She was now at Court, or so I thought.

"Hurry up, Rose, we're going to be late if we don't leave soon," Dimitri said, picking up random articles of clothing that had made their way to my floor amid my packing frenzy. At least once a week, Dimitri would tidy up my room for me, saying he wasn't to spend a minute of his time in a room whose floor he couldn't see. Whatever. I got a clean room out of it.

"Should I take another sweater?" I mused aloud, picking one up.

"Rose, half of the clothing in your duffel bag is sweaters and long sleeved clothing. It's not that cold in Russia, you know that," Dimitri said, exasperated.

I shook my head. "No, I went during the summer. Yes it was warm then, but now it's December," I replied stubbornly.

Dimitri shook his head. "No you don't need another sweater. If you really get that cold, you can wear one of mine."

I thought about it for another moment, then nodded. "Alright, let me just get dressed and we can go."

I changed into a different pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt before pulling on my sweatshirt followed by my winter jacket. My combat boots went on last, and I was ready.

"Alright, let's go," I said cheerfully.

Dimitri shook his head again and rolled his eyes. Lissa didn't force him to do anything more than hold her hand at the get togethers, as she had no idea what Eric wanted from her and she had to keep face, so both of us had become much more relaxed, especially with the lack of threats.

We walked hand in hand to the car Dimitri had waiting. Since it was dark out right now, anyone outside wouldn't really recognise us enough to tell.

We drove to the Missoula airport and were able to board the plane fairly quickly, as all we had between the two of us were our duffel bags. However, we got a surprise; we were upgraded from coach to first class. Suspicion curled in my stomach, and I could see Dimitri felt the same.

As we got settled into our new seats, two people came up to us. Both tall, both with blond hair and green eyes and pale faced. One male, one female.

"Lissa? Eric? What are you two doing here?" I asked nervously, shifting away from Dimitri.

"Well, I heard that Dimitri was going to be visiting his family, and I thought, 'a perfect opportunity for Lissa to meet her future in-laws,'" Eric said cheerfully, looking at me puzzled. "Although I wasn't expecting you to be here." He raised an eyebrow.

I swallowed nervously, a lie coming flawlessly to my lips. "I met Viktoria, Dimitri's sister, last year during our abroad training and we clicked. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to hang out with her. She's an awesome person," I replied casually.

Eric nodded, accepting this excuse, but still looked suspicious. "Well, even better, then. Lissa will have a friend." He turned his eyes to Dimitri. "As for the concerns you had...well, I'm glad we were able to smooth them out. I cannot wait to wed you to my daughter." Eric had a dangerous glint in his eye.

I gave Dimitri a confused look, which he returned. "Sir, I-" he began.

"Well, have a lovely flight, now that you're flying in style. Wouldn't want my future son-in-law stuck in coach for a fourteen hour flight." Eric gave Dimitri smile, then walked away before anymore could be said.

Lissa sat down hesitantly in the seat across from us. "Dad said that - that he talked to you about..." she trailed off, blushing.

"The woman I love?" Dimitri asked coolly.

Lissa nodded, looking down. "Um, he said just now that he had talked to you and you assured him that you were committed to me. Is that - is that true?" She raised her eyes to his, then quickly glanced away.

Dimitri turned to me, unsure. I didn't take my eyes off of Lissa.

"No, he didn't," I replied for Eric.

"Oh," Lissa said in a small voice. "I'm - I'm sorry. I don't think..." She trailed off again, looking miserable. "I tried, I swear. I am so, so sorry." Tears appeared in her eyes.

"Lissa..." I started to get up, but at that moment, we were told to fasten our seat-belts.

"Lissa, it's not your fault," I said, comforting her even though a hot ball of pain had manifested in my chest. "I know you tried your best."

"I told him that I didn't really want to marry someone who was in love with someone else. It wouldn't be fair to any of us. But he said that Dimitri would fall in love with me because I was so beautiful and precious." Lissa's hair swung to cover her face.

Damn him. Damn him into the deepest pits of hell. He was playing on Lissa's insecurity and innocence. All the girl ever wanted was to be loved. She was so sweet and beautiful, but so naive that it was so easy to play her, and she always got hurt. After Aaron, she stayed away from guys, but still managed to stumble on another one two years. Where Aaron was the scum of the earth, this guy would have been kicked out of hell. I couldn't even remember his name, but she'd loved him so much, she'd given her virginity to him. The next day he was gone. She was destroyed. She didn't even trust men anymore, so this arranged marriage to her was great; he couldn't leave her. She didn't care who she married, she just wanted to be loved. She didn't want to hurt anyone in the meantime, though, which was why she was so torn over it. I could see that she genuinely cared for Dimitri and could grow to love him, but because she cared for him, she didn't want to hurt him.

"Liss, you are beautiful and precious and amazing and smart and funny. And someday you will meet someone who will fall madly in love with you," I said softly. "It's just...Dimitri is taken." I so wanted to tell her _by me_ but I was terrified what that revelation would do. Would she tell Eric that? Would he allow her to get out of it? Or would he convince her I was just trying to help a friend? Would he take me away from both of them? I couldn't handle that. I knew that's exactly what he would do. He wanted his daughter to be happy and safe and further the changes in society to make it better, and he wouldn't let anything stand in his way.

Lissa raised her head. "Dimitri, I'll keep trying to convince Dad, okay? You don't have to do this if you don't want to." She was determined, I could see that.

"Lissa, if it hurts you - just be careful, okay? You don't have to hurt yourself.," Dimitri said gently. "Yes, it would be nice to be with the woman I love, but...just don't get hurt, okay?"

Lissa nodded, smiling softly. "I won't, don't worry."

I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. It was going to be a long flight.

There. I think that showed Lissa better. She's not malicious, she's not out to get Dimitri. It's Eric. Lissa isn't selfish; in fact, she's much more selfless than she is in the series.

* * *

Well...what do you think? More on Lissa's past next chapter or so :P See, she's not that much of a b*tch! :D Thank you to (in order from first review to last) **Guest** (please leave something to differentiate yourself from the other guests! even a letter! Nah, she's not like that. She won't go near the physical part until after :P), **Guest** (Please leave something to differentiate yourself from other guests, like a letter or something! It wasn't supposed to be funny...:P Why is Tatiana executing anyone? And Lissa isn't all bad(:), **Guest** (once again, differentiate yourself...I know you meant that(: I just meant that it wouldn't do anything :P And as you can see, calling it off is a bit complicated), **Guest** (leave something else! Some kind of name! More on that next chapter), **kcripep, RozaRocks** (oh, she'll break alright! I'm thinking...next chapter?),** shadow-kissed angel, SJKBS, XxXRose-DimitriForeverXxX** (thanks ^_^), **Kay1a** (thank you so much! when I read that, you literally made my night! I teared up(: Thank you so much!),** xX Dimka's girl 4 ever Xx** (mmhmm...), and last but not least...**Dimkaisshmexy24** (Tehehe, did you notice my little song tribute to you at the beginning? Thanks for the song! I'm a bit obsessed ^_^ I'm glad you're alive!It gets sadder before it gets happier...:/) for reviewing!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own VA, sadly :/

RPOV:

Fifteen hours and a long nap later, we were being greeted by two of the Belikovs. Both greeted me with open arms – literally.

"Oh, Roza, we missed you so much," Olena said, tears in her eyes as she hugged me tightly.

Olena, Dimitri's mother, and his oldest sister Karolina had come to pick us and Viktoria up at the airport. Viktoria was coming home for the winter holidays from her school, St. Basil's Academy.

"I missed you too, Olena," I mumbled back, feeling at home in her arms. Her hugs were always what I imagined a mother's hugs to be.

"What is Vasilisa doing here?" she whispered.

"Eric forced her to. She doesn't know about us," I whispered back.

Olena nodded and pulled away, wrapping her arms around Dimitri next.

Lissa just stood awkwardly to the side as Karolina greeted me. All of a sudden, a shout of, 'Roza!' could be heard throughout the airport. A ball of brown hair and glittering eyes smacked into me.

"Vika!" I cried out, hugging her tightly. "Oh, I've missed you so much."

"Oh, I missed you too, Roza! Oh, we have so much catching up to do! How are you and Dimitri? Did you get in trouble yet? Did he pop the question? When do I get to be a bridesmaid?" She shot off questions faster than I could think. In her excitement, she'd switched to Russian. Thank God Dimitri had been teaching me conversational Russian for the last year and a half; otherwise I would be utterly lost.

I gritted my teeth at the reminder that Dimitri wasn't mine anymore.

"Dimitri's fiancee is right over here," I said loudly, pointing towards Lissa. "This is my best friend and sister, Vasilisa Dragomir. Dimitri proposed to her a couple of months ago."

Viktoria glared at Lissa. "Why the hell is she getting married to Dimitri and you're not?" she hissed.

I sighed, tired. "It's a huge complicated mess, Vika," I said wearily.

The family didn't really know how to react to her. After greeting Dimitri and I, we all stood there awkwardly, looking at Lissa, then each other.

"So, um, are we going?" I finally asked.

Olena nodded. "Of course, dear." She hesitated. "I'm not sure how this is going to work..." she trailed off.

"Why? What do you mean?" I asked.

Olena sighed. "There's only room for three in the car," she explained.

"Oooh..." I said in realisation.

Olena nodded. "We weren't expecting a fourth passenger."

There was another awkward silence. "Um...Maybe Dimitri and I could get a rental car?" I suggested.

Olena thought about it for a moment. "I guess you're going to have to," she finally said.

I nodded. "C'mon, Comrade," I said cheerfully. "It'll be like summer all over again."

I began walking away, Dimitri in tow, when Lissa's voice stopped me. "Wait, Rose!"

I turned. "Yeah?"

She looked small, standing there by herself. "Don't leave me alone," she whispered, her eyes large with fear.

My face softened. "Liss, they're your in-laws. You might as well get to know them while you have the chance." I knew I was throwing her to the sharks, and part of me was sympathetic and felt bad. The majority of me, however, was jumping at the chance to be alone with Dimitri for several hours. Baia was about six hours away from Novosibirsk. Six hours alone with Dimitri. I couldn't wait to get into the car.

"Rose-"

"Lissa, you'll be fine," I said impatiently. "It's your chance to get to know them."

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. I knew the thought of talking to new people without me was daunting. It had been three years now since her last - disastrous - relationship, and in that time she became an introvert to the point that it was seriously concerning. She didn't speak much outside of our group of friends, so this was completely out of her comfort zone. On the same note, it was time that she got back into the swing of things.  
"Let's go, Comrade. I want to see Paul and Zoya," I said eagerly, dragging him to the car rental.

After getting our car, we began our journey to Baia.

"You know, it's going to be majorly awkward with Lissa there," I observed.

Dimitri nodded. "I don't see why we just don't tell her about us," he said, frowning.

I sighed. "I don't know. I just have this really bad feeling about it. I mean, even after she told Eric she didn't want to go through with this, he is still keeping up the engagement. What good would knowing we were together do? He'd probably just split us up, and that's the last thing we need. Lissa isn't conniving and...experienced enough in the game of Royals. She's such a good soul..." I sighed. "You don't know this. We've never told you this. This isn't common knowledge, but I want you to understand where I'm coming from, with the whole don't hurt her bit. I'm going to tell you this and you're not going to like it. But I want you to see that she's a good person and there's only so much she can do." I put my hand on his knee. "I know you want to move the world for me, want this to end, and our best hope is Lissa. But that's not much of a hope." I paused, gathering my thoughts.

Dimitri must have thought I was done. "So, what's this big secret?" he asked, his eyes firmly on the road.

I sighed. "Well, you know how we always keep guys away from her?"

Dimitri nodded. "Mmhmm. Because of that Aaron kid or whatever his name was."

"Well, yes, him too, but there's more than that. Aaron began her downfall, but another guy, whom she met, oh, say, two years later. when she was fifteen, that's the reason behind our protectiveness." I told him about how she was completely in love and gave up her virginity to the little demon.

Dimitri was astonished. "I really want to find this guy and tear him limb from limb," he hissed, glaring.

I sighed. "I tried that. Beat the crap out of him. I was actually taken to jail. Eric bailed me out."

Dimitri chanced a glance at me, eyebrow raised. "You never told me this."

I shrugged. "It's not something I like talking about, for certain reasons," I replied.

"Why do I get this feeling that there's more to the story?"

"Because there is. Shortly after the whole fiasco, Lissa went into a deep depression. Like, she was cutting kind of depression. It was hard." I paused.. "About two months after he disappeared, my mother decided to show up." I paused again. This time I didn't start talking.

"And?" Dimitri prompted me.

I looked out of my window. "I don't want to talk about what happened," I said in a small voice. Flashes of words, sounds really, hit me. The venom in her voice. The hate. The disappointment. I shook my head, trying to dislodge the memories.

Dimitri put his hand on my knee and squeezed it comfortingly. "It's in the past love. She's not here now."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "It was...a hard time for me. Lissa helped me through. Hell, she was going through her own crisis, yet was always there to hold me when I needed to cry, there to talk to me. In that moment, our roles kind of switched. She was my guardian. She made sure I was okay. She brought me cookies, brownies, all sorts of sweets. Watched movies with me. Took me shopping. Held me while I cried. She was so strong." My voice had dropped to an awed whispered. "It was like she was my very own guardian angel. There were times when I thought that maybe I didn't need people. I would train and train until I passed out. Lissa was always there to stop me, or help me. She always pulled me back. One time, she walked in on me about to cut my hair. She took the scissors from me, then took me to a beauty salon and gave me a trim, then facials, then messages, and mani-pedis. I-" My voice faltered. "I don't know where I'd be without her."

There was silence in the car as Dimitri digested everything I'd just unloaded. "There's more, isn't there?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "When she had sex, well, she'd been stupid. She was so head over heels in love, ready to start a family. I think part of her knew that they wouldn't last long, so she was desperate. She timed it so that when they had sex, it was prime time for her to get pregnant."

"Oh, God..."

"And...she got pregnant. Of course, she was only fifteen at the time, and stressed, so she had a miscarriage, about a couple of days before Janine showed up. I knew nothing of it, I just knew she was hurt and had to go to the doctors, then Janine showed up, and it was put to the back of my mind. So, yeah."

"She's strong," Dimitri commented after a moment of silence.

I nodded. "She is," I said softly. "I just don't want her to get hurt like that again. It destroyed her. It's been three years, and I still sometimes hear her having nightmares about it."

A resounding silence filled the car.

"So that's why you want me to stay with her until the last possible moment," Dimitri finally said.

I exhaled. "I guess. I just...don't want her to get hurt. She's helped me so much, sacrificed so much. When we first became friends, you know, when I threw that book at the teacher? I would spend all holidays at the school, hoping my mom would come, and she stayed with me. I didn't want to go with her, just in case Janine did show up, and Lissa refused to leave without me. So the Dragomirs spent every holiday until we were ten at the Academy. She's the sister I never had. Which is why it hurts so much for Eric to be doing this."

"I love you, Roza. If I didn't love you, if we were simply friends, and you'd given me that speech, I would be honored to marry Lissa. If you didn't love me, I guess. But we're together, Roza. Nothing is going to change that, okay?"

I nodded. "I know Dimitri, I know."

We spent the rest of the car ride either in comfortable silence or talking about trivial things. The ride passed quickly, and before I knew it, we had arrived. Time to face the music.

* * *

A/N: Well, this was a bit of a filler chapter. I just want you guys to see how different my Lissa is to the series's Lissa. She's not the bad guy here. I feel like I'm failing in showing it. Am I? I want to show that she's good person and love Rose and would do anything for Rose, but...am I failing at that? There's so much hate towards her...

Anyway, thank you to **kcripep** (mmhmm. After Christmas :P And I don't like Eric either, lol), **ClauIloveDimitriBelikov** (thank you very much for seeing it. And not hating on Lissa, lol.)** Guests J, J, and J** (really? But thanks anyway(: Eric is an ass, and Lissa is fiiiiine lol.), **xX Dimka's girl 4 ever Xx** (well, I guess naive is the wrong word. She's...protected. He does care and sees Dimitri as the perfect candidate for his daughter),** Mori Belicov Hathaway** (lmao! xD Stupid but in a different way...),** XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX** (well, Rose was the one to tell her to do that, but yeah, it was sad :/), **vampiregirl2014** (she can't...), **RozaRocks** (thank you very much for seeing it my way! Relief! Lol...and yes, he is...which is going to bite the in the a$$ later on...), **Kay1a** (thank you :3), **Vampswols4L, XxXRose-DimitriForeverXxX** (thank you! Yes, yes she is!), **Dimkaisshmexy24** (lol, I just ignore that part xD I've been wanting to read that...yes, I love books about angels :3 I love Hush, Hush! I can't wait to read Finale! Lol, nothing wrong about ranting about books ^_^ mmhmm. ANd...speaking of awkwardness...(;), **TheBookShelf** (Yes, yes she does need love :3 I'm hating Eric too! xD Success! Haha. It makes perfect sense, don't worry!), and **Emmalovesdimitri** (their solution...ha! You'll see (;) for reviewing! Love y'all!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own VA... :'(

RPOV:

Walking into the house, I was immediately jumped. We'd pulled up to the house just moments after Olena had, but everyone let me through first. Now I see why.

"Roza! Roza!" So many voices screaming at me at once! I didn't know who was saying what and to whom. I could feel two small forms clinging to my legs and waist. A stomach was pressed into my side, and laughter behind me.

I laugh along with them. "Hey, Paul, and Zoya! Oh, Sonya, you're pregnant!" I exclaimed, hugging them all to me. The misery and sadness of the last month shattered in the wake of the love and happiness I felt being back with my family.

After my visit last year, we'd all kept in contact through letters and phone calls, for which Lissa had paid. It was great seeing them in person. Sonya hadn't told me she was pregnant, though. When I pointed this fact out, she shrugged.

"I knew you were coming, and I wanted to tell you in person," she explained.

Dimitri and Viktoria were treated with the same welcome. Then Lissa appeared.

Silence reigned the house.

"Who's this?" Sonya asked finally.

"This is Lissa," I replied, taking a deep breath. "Dimitri's fiancee."

"What's a fiancee?" Paul asked, his cute, accented nine year old voice ringing in the silence.

"Um, she is going to be his wife," I explained.

The silence became tense. No one really knew what to say to that.

"Oh, well, um, hi," Paul said, confused. He turned to me. "Aunty Roza, why -"

"Paul, why don't you go show Aunty Roza your new toys?" Karolina cut her son off, to my relief.

Paul's eyes lit up. "Okay!" he said enthusiastically, pulling on my arm. "Come on, Aunty Roza!" He pulled me into the living room.

In the middle of playing cars, he looked up at me. "How come that other girl is Uncle Dimka's fiancee? Why aren't you?"

I sighed. "Paul...it's all very confusing. But you can't tell Lissa that Dimitri and I were together. Um, it'll be our little secret, okay?"

Paul frowned. "Why can't I tell her?"

I sighed again. "Because people will get hurt if you do." I frowned, trying to put it into terms he would understand. "Okay, you know how Spiderman doesn't tell people who he is? It's kind of like that."

Paul thought about it for a moment. "So you and Uncle Dimka are like superheroes that need to keep your superheroness hidden?"

I nodded, relieved. "Uh huh. Or else bad people will be able to hurt us," I explained.

Paul nodded looking satisfied. "Okay, then." We went back to playing.

* * *

Dinner that night was an awkward affair. Unintentionally, we froze Lissa out. I couldn't help it; I was so happy to see everyone, I forgot Lissa existed. We spoke in a mixture of Russian and English, and by Lissa's confused face, she was utterly lost. Admittedly, even I had trouble following along at times, but Dimitri was always there to help.

Lissa would try to chip in sometimes, which resulted in moments of awkward silence as everyone remembered she was there and tried to figure out what to say and how to react.

For all intents and purposes, it was as if Dimitri wasn't engaged to Lissa. He had his promise ring on and I mine, and the family still treated us as a couple. Poor Lissa was too busy trying to keep up and say the right thing or staring dejectedly at her food to notice anything.

I wondered if I should feel guilty, but I couldn't. I couldn't let her ruin my holiday. Call it being in denial, but I wanted to pretend Dimitri and Lissa wasn't a thing that existed. There was Lissa, my best friend and sister, and there was Dimitri, my boyfriend and the love of my life. There was no link between the two of them except for me.

Even after dinner was finished, we stayed at the table talking. This time, I attempted to include Lissa, especially when Dimitri went off to find Yeva, who hadn't eaten dinner with us.

Olena glanced at the clock and gasped. "Oh, look at the time! We must be getting to bed!"

A few minutes of groaning and grumbling later, we began getting up. Only Lissa stayed sitting.

"Um, excuse me?" She took a nervous breath as all eyes turned to her. "I was just, um." She swallowed, blinking her eyes rapidly. "Where...um, uh, I mean, um...Where - where do I, um..."

"Oh, where will you sleep?" I realised she was trying to say. "Um..." I glanced at Olena.

"Not with Dimitri," she said instantly.

Lissa's shoulders slumped as some of the tension left her. "Oh, thank goodness," she whispered, relieved.

"You can sleep with Vika. You don't mind, do you?" Olena looked at Viktoria sharply.

Viktoria scowled, but nodded.

Lissa nodded as well, then frowned. "Oh, but where will you sleep?" She looked at me, concerned.

I shrugged. "With Dimitri. Wouldn't be the first time," I said nonchalantly.

Dimitri walked through the door. "What'd I miss?"

"We're sleeping together while Lissa sleeps with Vika," I announced.

Dimitri nodded, also relieved.

"Where's Yeva?" I asked.

Dimitri inclined his head toward the door.

"Okay."

As everyone began getting ready for bed, I made myself a cup of tea, then stepped out.

Dimitri's grandmother, Yeva, was sitting in one of the chairs, looking out at the street. She was swathed in blankets and shawls; winter in Siberia was very cold. Her small frame was buried beneath them, but her dark eyes, looking black in the night, glittered out at me.

"Yeva," I said softly, settling myself in the other chair. I wrapped my hands around my hot cup, trying to keep warm; my sweater was doing a so-so job. "Is there any hope?" I took a sip.

Yeva could see the future. Her visions didn't necessarily come true - or make sense for that matter.

"I see two outcomes," she finally said, her heavily accented voice carrying through the darkness. "In one, I see you a shadow, sad. Dimka is also sad, but in the foreground. Vasilisa is happy and pregnant."

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the pain. It was so like the dream Dimitri had. I shuddered. I hoped Dimitri hadn't inherited any of his grandmother's powers.

"And the other?" I broke the brief silence, opening my eyes.

Yeva heaved a sigh that held years of pain and weariness. It was almost a tangible thing.

"The second one, you are still a shadow. Pain is seen around you, but you appear somewhat happy. Vasilisa is with you. Dimitri is nowhere to be seen."

I squeezed the cup as waves of pain hit me, like an angry ocean. I began rocking gently. "No, no, no," I whispered. "It can't be true. It _can't_." Tears formed in my eyes.

Yeva looked at me, her eyes filled with pain. "It is not always so," she reminded me. "More oft than not, I am wrong. There is always hope."

I bit my lip on the sob threatening to escape. "It won't be like that. There is a chance. It won't be so."

"You are strong, Roza. Create your own future."

I nodded, standing up. My body was shaking, but I convinced myself it was due to the cold and not the fear coursing through my veins like poison.

"I'm going to go to bed now. Thank you, Yeva. Goodnight," I said softly, walking back into the house. I paused in the kitchen to dump out the remnants of my tea, and to rinse the cup. The I climbed the stairs slowly, Yeva's words ringing in my ears.

I stopped in front of the door to Dimitri's room - the guest room, anyway. Vika had long since taken over his room. After taking several deep breaths, I walked in.

Dimitri was laying on one side of the bed, the blanket covering from his waist down. I could see his bare chest gleaming in the little bit of moonlight sneaking through the curtains.

I went into the attached bathroom, and got ready for bed, belatedly realising I'd forgotten my pajamas in the room. Shrugging, I went back out and changed into them in front of Dimitri. Wouldn't be the first time.

I crawled into bed next to him, and lay on my back. An awkward silence filled the room. This was the first time something like that had happened. Never before had Dimitri and I simply lay on our back next to each other, not touching, not looking at one another. It had never been this awkward and tense and uncomfortable. Lissa stood between us.

"What did Babushka say?" Dimitri finally said.

I swallowed. "She saw that either you ended up with Lissa or ended up dead, just as Eric said," I replied softly.

Dimitri took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply. "So there's no hope?" he said bleakly.

I shook my head, then rolled onto my side. Putting my hand on his cheek, I turned his face to mine. "There is always hope. We'll just have to make our own future."

Dimitri closed his eyes, pain etched on his face. "Yeva is right more often than she's not, and you know it."

I closed my eyes, sighing. "I know," I whispered. She had lied to me earlier. I knew it.

I opened my eyes, determined. "No. We will not let that happen. I don't care if I have to ruin her wedding, I will not let you two marry," I said strongly.

Dimitri smiled up at me. "Let's hope it doesn't get to that."

I smiled back. However, as the silence stretched on, our brief moment of hope dissipated. There was still an awkwardness in the air, something not right.

I sighed again. "God, how did it get so bad?" I muttered.

Dimitri gave me a half smile. "I'm not sure, but there must be a way to make it better."

I nodded, but didn't move any closer, just lay on my back once more. Silence fell once more. Both of us were waiting for the other to make a move.

Dimitri finally sighed and reached over to my side of the bed. He took my hand in his, giving it a gently squeeze.

"Goodnight, my Roza," he murmured.

I smiled slightly. "Goodnight, my Comrade."

The events of the day finally hit me, taking all the fight out. My eyes closed on their own accord, and my body surrendered itself to sleep.

* * *

Hm. Well, then. Yeva spoke. What do you guys think? Sorry for the late update...school, ya know? I think one more chapter of Christmas, then another of them going back and meeting Christian!

Thank you to **Vampswols4L** (Christian will be there soon, don't worry! :D), **RozaRocks** (thank you sooo much! Yeah, poor Lissa. She really gets the short end of the stick in this story...:/),** kcripep** (I don't know about him taking her away, but...(;), **J** (oh, okay, that makes sense! Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, everyone wants Eric dead, even me! xD And...Eric wants the best for his little girl, and sees Dimitri as the best because, honestly, who doesn't think he's the best?), **TheBookShelf** (Yay! I feel so special now! :3 Awkward, yes. Heart-breaking, yes. Humorous? Eh...not yet! Lol.), Katylou1986 (thanks for reviewing every chapter! I'm glad you like the story :3),** XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX** (nah, I don't think they can...or when they do, it's too late...(;),** GlieseHoneyman** (as much as that would be kinda awesome, I'm not going to make this a Rose gets pregnant story. Sorry!), **Music books horses** (tehehe, yup!), **Guest, Mrs. Belikova, bboop12, Dimkaisshmexy24** (I shall let my librarian know about it! One of my friends has Finale, but won't share :( No, I haven't, but I'll look into it! Lol xD It's alright, I know how it is! Haha, good! No, it's alright. It's always amusing to hear about people hurting themselves (; jk! Well...you've shown me that you're INSANE, so...don't get too boring on me with your next review! :D),** VAisdabest** (in a couple of chapters!),** shadow-kissed angel** (how about now? (;), and **Molly** for reviewing you! You are all the best! :D


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own VA

RPOV:

The two weeks of Christmas vacation we spent in Russia flashed by. We had to go back to school the day after the Russian Christmas, but that was okay.

Stepping onto the grounds of the school was like stepping back into reality. Gone now was the dream world where Dimitri and I were happy and Lissa was nothing more than a friend to us. Back was the fact that they were engaged. There was hope yet, though. Hope in the form of Christian Ozera, the new kid.

The minute Lissa set eyes on him, she froze, her eyes wide.

"Who is that?" she breathed.

I fought back a smile. "That would be Christian Ozera, the new kid. C'mon, Liss, let's introduce ourselves."

I dragged her eagerly to him, hoping that she would fall madly in love and free Dimitri once and for all.

"Hey, I'm Rose Hathaway and this is my sidekick, Lissa Dragomir," I announced, skidding to a halt in front of him.

Christian smirked. "Ah, yes, the infamous Hathaway team. Tell me, did you kill anyone yet, today?" Christian asked in a sardonic voice.

I pretended to think. "Now that you mention it...I do recall an odd bump and thump while I was driving back the Academy," I said jokingly. Like Dimitri would ever let me anywhere near the steering wheel.

Christian smirked. "Christian Ozera," he said lazily, sticking out his hand.

I shook it. He then turned to Lissa, freezing similarly to the way she had earlier.

"And you must be the fair Vasilisa," he murmured, staring at her.

"Hi," she squeak, blushing as much as a vampire could.

Christian gently took her hand and kissed it, bowing low in the process. "A pleasure to meet you."

Lissa blushed more, if possible. "T-thank you," she mumbled, looking down.

A smile curled Christian's lip.

I elbowed Lissa. "Oh, um, uh, would-would you l-like m-me to show, um, y-you around?" she stuttered out.

"That would be very nice," he said.

Lissa held onto my arm for dear life. "Don't leave me," she begged.

I sighed in defeat. So much for letting her fall into the arms of another man, I thought gloomily. I'd forgotten temporarily how she was around new men, how hesitant and shy, a lot like a young child around strangers.

"Sure, Liss," I mumbled back.

_They come first._

* * *

Two days after we came back, I was in Lissa's bathroom when there was a knock on the door. When Lissa opened it, I heard Eric's voice. Holding my breath, I pressed my ear to the bathroom door.

"Daddy, what are you doing here?" Lissa asked.

Eric sighed. "I'm here to see my daughter and her fiance," he replied.

"Everything is fine, Dad," Lissa said gently.

"I just want to make sure everything is perfect for my little girl," he said gruffly, emotion in his voice.

"Dad, Dimitri is in love with someone else, I don't think it's fair for him to marry me," Lissa said.

"Lissa, sweetie, do you like him?"

"Dad, he's a great man, but, well, he's more of a friend," Lissa said.

"Honey, you two will love each other. That other person? She's a dhampir. It wouldn't have worked and you know it. I'm doing a favor for both of them. You and I know how looked down upon dhampir/dhampir relationships are. Really, I'm preserving his image and his future. He's a great man. I wanted nothing but the best for you. He won't hurt you. He'll keep you safe. Don't worry about it, sweetheart."

A thought struck me. Was Eric a spirit user? They were rare but not unheard of.

No, I decided. I'd seen him use fire before, and I'd also seen a spirit user attempt to use one of the elements. No way could he be a spirit user. He was just a smooth talker, I decided. If only Rhea was alive. Too bad a Strigoi had gotten her when Lissa was only a year old.

Shortly after assuring her that she was doing the right thing, Eric left.

I walked back into the room.

"You don't really believe him, do you?" I asked, sitting beside her on the bed.

"Well, he does have a point. Sort of. I mean..." she hesitated. "I like him well enough. And you guys are friends, right? It wouldn't be so bad for me to marry him. And this way, he'll be accepted, and he'll also get a family." She paused, looking stricken. "Unless he doesn't want a family..."

I looked down, depressed. "No, he wants a family." And just for a moment, I imagined what it would be like for Dimitri. No one would look down on him for marrying Lissa. He wouldn't be ostracized like he would be if he was with me. He would further his career. Have a chance at a family and happiness. Have a loving wife to come back to every day. We would never have that. Hell, we wouldn't even know if we survived day to day. Lissa could give him that stability and future. I couldn't. Would it be so bad if he was happy with her?

I shook those thoughts from my head. We'd already had this discussion. He didn't want to marry Lissa, no matter what it brought him. He loved me and only me. Nothing would change that.

I sighed. "Sometimes, Liss, sometimes that isn't enough."

* * *

Eric became a permanent fixation at the school. Dimitri and I had to be very careful now. Luckily, we were good at it.

Lissa clearly liked Christian. Though I had to fight with her to get her to talk to him, she had developed a cute little crush on him. In my darkest of dreams, I hoped she would fall in love with him, and he with her, allowing them to get married and leaving Dimitri to me. I could see that Christian cared for her, in the looks her gave her and how careful he was to not push her.

I encouraged her to hang out with him, but she was too shy to actually engage in a conversation without me. The thought of her engagement also weighed on her, creating unnecessary complications.

"Rose, I need to stay faithful to Dimitri," she insisted.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like you're jumping into bed with Christian," I protested. Not like Dimitri and I were.

She looked at me uncertainly through her lashes. "But...I feel like I'm cheating. I'm -" she cut herself off, but I knew what she was going to say. _I'm starting to like him. _

"You should talk to your dad. You don't like Dimitri. Have Christian!" I said eagerly. Too eagerly.

Lissa shied away. "I don't know, Rose," she said uncomfortably.

The poor girl had gone through so much, she no longer trusted her own judgment.

She bit her lip. "I doubt he sees me like that, though."

I sighed. There was no talking to her. Christian was the same.

"If she likes me, let her tell me on her own terms," he said stubbornly.

I exhaled sharply. "You people are no help at all," I muttered. "You should at least show your affections," I cajoled.

Christian hesitated.

"Oh, come on! Just like flowers or something! I'm not asking you to marry her!" I snapped.

Christian didn't look convinced. "I'll think about it."

I left with a huff. Those two, honestly!

Luckily, something I said must have gone through to Christian, because later that week, a bouquet of flowers appeared on Lissa's doorstep.

'S_omething to brighten your day, like you do mine. -Christian.' _Lissa sighed dreamily.

"Oh, he's too good to be true." Lissa smiled, her gaze far away.

I smiled. It was the perfect time, really. Lissa was falling for Christian. If I told her that Dimitri and I were together, Eric would have no choice but to call off the engagement! Not if he wanted Lissa to be happy, and Christian was clearly the one to do it.

I decided that I would let Dimitri know tonight about telling Lissa. Thank goodness Eric was here.

I bit back an excited squeal. Only a few more hours before Dimitri and I could finally be together without restrictions!

* * *

Okay, rant time!

Soooo...due to a lovely reviewer - anonymous, of course - I very nearly killed off Rose. Metaphorically, of course. More like...almost had Eric send Rose away to Alder, where she meets Adrian, while Lissa and Dimitri get married and live happily ever after. Yeah. Dear 'Guest,' next time, please sign in so I can reply to you directly. And if you don't like my 'train wreck,' well, no one is making you read it. Alright, rant over. I think...You are all very lucky I have good friends who calmed me down...

Anyway, thank you for reviewing to** Guest** (very rude, and not particularly thank you. So sorry I decided to follow the book with the whole 'dhampirs can't have kids together.' Go read one of the other numerous stories with that story line and leave my stories alone. You shouldn't assume anything, and if you had read my summary AND the pairing, you would know I would never have Dimitri and Lissa be together. NOW the rant is over.),** LolitaPop27** (isn't he? Originally, that scene wasn't there, but i figured a ten year old wouldn't really know what a fiance was, soo...^_^ Well, as Yeva said...the future is always changing...(;)**, Katylou1986, ClauIloveDimitriBelikov **(tehehe, you'll see(;), **Vampswols4**L (of course they will...),** XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX, Breebh14, Mori Belicov Hathaway** (tehehe, looking for someone to blame? Your mind is going to be blown the next chapter!),** shadow-kissed angel **(soon enough? (;),** Music books horses **(No, don't die! I need readers! ;) Thank you so much! Is this good enough? Aren't LxC soo adorable?),** Guest K, Guest J** (tehehe, you'll have someone else to hate next chapter! And funny you should mention that last part...(;),** kcripep**, and** RozaRocks **(yes, it is. But, well, they make their own futures! (: But I do love Paul 3).


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own VA. If I did, I would put Rose through even more hell than Richelle Mead did ^_^

RPOV:

After waiting impatiently for the day to end, I practically skipped to Dimitri's room, almost forgetting to be on the lookout for guardians. I snuck up to his room, deciding to surprise him once he got off his shift. Only a little bit longer before -

My eyes went wide as I took in the scene in front of me.

Eric sat on Dimitri's bed.

I froze, the door swinging shut behind me.

"Uncle Eric," I said, my lips barely moving in my shock. "What are you doing here?"

Eric looked at me sadly, shaking his head. "I told you, Rose. I told you to let it go. Yet you insisted on continuing this." He sighed. "I have no other choice but to send you away. You had such a bright future, yet you wasted it." He shook his head again.

"W-what are you saying? Send me away? Why?!" I stared at him with wide-eyed horror.

Eric ran a hand through his hair. "This wedding needs to go on. You being here only messes things up."

Tears filled my eyes. "Why are you doing this? Don't you love us?"

"Dammit, Rose, of course I love you! You're the closest thing to a second daughter that I have! I want both of you to be happy. If it was my choice." He stood up and started pacing. "Queen Tatiana arranged this, though. We have plenty of guardians now, but the newest batch coming in is the lowest we've ever had. Moroi are getting nervous. She doesn't know what else to do. Moroi are focused more on procreating with each other, leaving a very limited amount of guardians being born. And more women are now guardians which means less stay at home and create future guardians. Tatiana feels this change is necessary and won't hear my protests. She sees that the happiness of the entire Moroi world is more of a necessity than that of two - well, three - people. Although I dislike the fact that it's my babies that are getting hurt, I'm inclined to agree with her. I'm sorry, Rose." He looked at me apologetically. The torn look in his eyes told me he was telling the truth. Eric might be a lot of things, but he could never lie to me. No matter what, a guilty look appeared when he did, so I knew he was telling the absolute truth. "If there was a way to make sure all three of you are happy and Tatiana is satisfied, I would have found it by now. Trust me on that."

I was stunned. Tatiana? Queen Bitch Tatiana was behind all of this? "B-but..."I trailed off. "Lissa, she's-"

"Looking at Christian? I know. I mentioned that to Tatiana, but she still wants Lissa to continue on with the marriage. In her words, 'Christian and Lissa will get their moment. They can wait. Allow Dimitri and Lissa to have a child and all the scrutiny will be taken away from them and unto another spectacle. Until then, the wedding continues.'"

"So, wait. All Tatiana wants is the appearance of a happy marriage? That's all?"

Eric nodded.

"So...I don't need to leave?" I looked at him hopefully, but the regretful expression on his face told me otherwise.

"Once again, if it was up to me, you would stay. I was actually sent here to send you away two weeks ago, but I wanted to stall, so I told her that there didn't seem to be anything going on between you and Guardian Belikov. Unfortunately, I'm not the only informant she has." He gave a world weary sigh.

My shoulders slumped. "Can I at least say bye?" I asked softly.

Eric nodded. "You'll have to pack, too."

I nodded. "And you're positive there's no other option?"

Eric gave me a sad smile. "I've talked to her, even offered to speak to you about it. However, she's a stubborn woman and threatened to run you off with Janine. For some reason, she doesn't like you." Eric frowned.

"J-Janine?"

Eric nodded. "I'm afraid so. She was actually going to be reassigned here, before any of this was happening. I stalled that as long as I could, also."

I stared blankly at the wall. My mother was coming here. It was all planned before even Lissa's arranged marriage. Tatiana really hated me. Why?

"I'll - can I wait for Dimitri here?"

After a moments thought, Eric smiled. "Sure. In fact, he can even help you pack...I think."

"Where am I going?" I wondered.

"To St. Basil's, oddly enough. At least you'll know a couple of people." Eric gave me an encouraging look.

"Yeah, but it won't be the same. I suppose hoping to get Lissa as my charge after graduation would be too much?"

Eric sighed. "I'm sorry, Rose."

I nodded in understanding. It was completely out of his control.

We sat in Dimitri's room until his shift ended. I was running all the things I could say over in my mind but nothing seemed right. How do you say goodbye to the love of your life, with no guarantee that you would see them ever again?

I wanted to fight, to scream and shout and kick. To demand that this was stopped. But a part of me, ridiculously small, yet oh so powerful, realised there was no hope. Dimitri had taught me control long ago, and now it was kicking in - at the worst time. I knew there was no changing what had been put into motion, things I hadn't been aware of. Maybe if I'd known all of this earlier, I could have stopped it. Fought it. But now it was too late.

The door opened and Dimitri walked in, looking exhausted. He froze as soon as he caught sight of me, a smile breaking over his face, though quickly vanishing as soon as he saw Eric.

"Rose," he said in a neutral voice. "What are you doing here? Prince Dragomir?" He gave a small bow.

I gave him a sad smile. "You might as well drop the act, Comrade. Uncle Eric knowns about us."

The guardian mask slid off his face as if it were a physical thing. He seemed to have heard something unspoken in my voice, seen it in my face and eyes. He knew exactly what was happening. Exactly what we had feared if we told Lissa.

"No!" he gasped out, by my side in an instant. He gathered me up in his arms, holding me tightly. I wrapped myself around him, willing myself to not cry.

"You bastard!" He roared. "How dare you-"

"Dimitri!" I cried out. "It's not his fault!"

"No, Rose, let him yell and scream. I deserve it. Maybe if I had protested louder, found better arguments, found a loophole, anything! This wouldn't be happening." Eric looked disgusted with himself.

I shook my head and untangled myself from Dimitri. "Uncle Eric, it's out of your control. If you had spoken louder, I might not have had the little time I did with Dimitri. At least we had that." I gave him a tight hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, Rosie," he murmured, holding me tight. "I wish I could do something, anything! She won't even let you come to the wedding!" Eric sighed, his warm breath flowing through my hair. "I'll do my best to make sure you come, though. You shouldn't miss it."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Thank you," I whispered brokenly.

Eric released me. "I'll give you two some privacy. But Rose? Your plane leaves in two hours and you still have to pack."

I hesitated. "Can you start packing? The essentials, I mean?' I gave him my patented puppy eyes.

Eric crumbled almost instantly. "Of course, sweetie. I'll start with your clothes, alright?"

I nodded eagerly. "Thank you, Uncle Eric!"

Eric smiled one last time and walked out.

"Rose, what is going on?" Dimitri demanded, spinning me around to face him, looking very upset.

I sighed and gave him a brief rundown of what was happening and how it came to be.

"Russia? You're going to Russia?" he asked incredulously once I was done.

I gave him an affirmative nod. "Mmhmm. That's what I hear."

Dimitri closed his eyes and gathered me up in his arms again before collapsing on the bed. "No, Roza. You can't. We'll be so far apart. We'll never see each other. I can't do that."

"you'll have to, comrade,": I said sadly. I took his hand, the one with the promise ring. Neither of us had taken them off after we came back from Russia. I kissed every finger, ending with the ring. "I love you, Dimitri. Nothing will change that. Nothing. We'll be together in our hearts. Plus, we'll still be able to call and email and write. We'll still keep in contact," I promised him.

"You're right," Dimitri sighed. "I love you, my Roza."

I rolled so that I was laying on top of him, staring into his eyes. Silence filled the room. I began getting lost in his eyes, but before I could go to the point of no return, Dimitri kissed me.

It wasn't an innocent kiss. It was the kind of demanding kiss that led to instant clothe removal. Both of our shirts, and my bra, came off before we were finally able to remove ourselves from each others' lips.

"I love you Roza. I can't stay away from you that long," he gasped.

"I don't want you to be hurt," I replied breathlessly. "I love you Dimitri, so, so much. I couldn't live if anything happened to you." I have never told him about Yeva's visions, never being able to stomach the possibility of the second vision coming true. I could handle him being married to Lissa; at least there, there was still a chance for us. I couldn't, however, deal with the chance that he could die. I couldn't handle his death. The idea wasn't fathomable.

Before he could protest, I put my mouth back on his, maneuvering his pants down his long legs. Dimitri quickly caught on to my mindset, helping me out of my own pants. We were naked in record time. I wanted to take a long time loving his body, taking the time to memorize every last inch, every detail, before not seeing him for God only knows how long, but the need to be close overrode every other desire.

We connected, crying out at the sensation. We moved together slowly, trying to make this last, but need drove us rapidly to the edge. I found myself trying to hold back, knowing that release would bring us that much closer to separation, but my body had other ideas, moving ever fast.

"No, no, no. no!" I cried out softly, even as my body screamed _yes_.

Dimitri gritted his teeth above me, clearly staving off his own release, trying to make it last longer. "Oh, God, Roza. My Roza. Forever. You're my forever," he groaned out, staring into my eyes.

"Dimitri!" I cried out, tears gathering in my eyes as I felt myself coming to the brink. "Oh, God, I love you! Forever! My forever!" Any other words I might have said were garbled in my scream of pleasure as my release tore through me.

Dimitri gave out a small cry, collapsing onto me.

We lay there in silence as our breath came back. "I don't want to leave," I whispered.

"I don't want you to leave me," Dimitri whispered back.

He pulled away enough to look at me. I put a hand on his face.

"We'll find a way out, right?" I murmured.

Dimitri nodded and kissed my palm. "Of course, Roza. Nothing will keep me away from you, not even death."

I shivered, hoping his words never came true. Yeva's words echoed in my mind. _You were a shadow still. Pain was clear around you. Dimitri was nowhere to be seen._

I vowed in that moment that it would never happen, even if I never saw him again.

* * *

...DON'T HATE ME! IT WAS NECESSARY! Dx I love you all! I promise you a happy ending, just stick with me! Please! See? I even called myself a bitch for you! I'm sorry! YOU CAN'T KILL ME! IF YOU DO, ROSE AND DIMITRI WON'T HAVE THEIR HAPPY ENDING! I'M SAFE! xD

Thank you to **kcripep** (lol, nice. Thank you so much! ), **Katylou1986** (he kinda does, but he's not :P AAwww! Thank you! :D Yes, you are soo right...I don't know if I can tell Lissa just yet...I think she deserves a big shock...don't you? (;),** Kay1a **(...light...? hehe...:D Don't kill me! D: Is this soon enough?),** Vampswols4L** (I'm not sure how I'm going to add Adrian in...hm...),** XxXRose-DimitriForeverXxX** (ahh...they got together :D...), **Mori Belicov Hathaway **(is it better to hate a person you already hate...?),** xX Dimka's girl 4 ever Xx, RozaRocks** (does that answer your question...?),** Music books horses** (I'll be honest, your comment made my day ^_^ That's like my catch phrase, 'go die in a hole' and hearing...erm, seeing you say that, totally made my day! xD I think now you want me to die...),** Guest J** (haha, yeah...please don't kill me! Nope, no Tasha in this one :) And he does see... doesn't change anything, though :/), **TheBookShelf** (...yeah...she said that when she found out...:D...),** shadow-kissed angel** (yes, no happy ending for Lissa...that's all I'm saying (;),** anotherpassionatefangirl, Kaylee and Kenny forever **(lol, like I didn't know who you were talking about xD Lol, you gotta change your name now! xD) for reviewing! I hope this was soon enough for you! ^_^


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Well, since I haven't been killed, I must be the writer :D No, just kidding! No ownership whatsoever.

RPOV:

Dimitri drove me to the airport. The car was silent; neither of us knew how to say goodbye.

Once we reached the airport, Dimitri stopped the car. We sat there, staring out of the windshield, not speaking. Finally, hesitantly, I turned to him.

"Comrade..." I began softly.

Dimitri closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, don't say it." He spun around and took

my face gently in his hands.

"I love you Roza. Until the day I die. It will never be goodbye, because we will see each other again. Promise me," he said fiercely, his eyes burning into mine.

"I promise," I whispered. I cupped his cheek. "Promise me that you'll keep yourself safe. We _will_ get out of this together. We _will_, I promise. But you need to keep yourself safe. Go along with it so that no one can do anything to you. _Promise me. _No matter what."

Dimitri nodded. "I promise. We'll be together. This is only a temporary setback."

I nodded. I didn't know whom he was trying to convince, me or him.

* * *

I looked around my new dorm room in St. Basil's Academy, Moscow, Russia. It looked much like my own in St. Vlad's with the exception that this one already had someone living in it.

The door opened behind me, and I spun around, getting into a defensive position. Viktoria walked in, and I relaxed.

"Vika?" I questioned.

"Rose? What are you doing here?" Viktoria asked, clearly confused.

"Oh, are you my new roommate?" I said in surprise.

"Yes, but why are you here and not with Dimitri?"

I sighed. "Because I was sent here." I explained to her how Eric had sent me away so I couldn't interfere with Lissa's engagement.

"Why are you not fighting?" she said incredulously. "Why aren't you storming the Court, demanding to be left alone?

"Do you think I don't want to?" I said incredulously. The stress and pain of leaving, coupled with the tiring journey, frayed on my nerves and caused me to be overtly emotional. "I want to! I want to shout and scream and fight! But I can't. I can't, and that kills me. Do you think I _want _to lay down and take it? No! But I have to because if I don't Dimitri could get killed! And I'd rather never see him again than that!" I was crying by the end.

"Killed? What does that have to do with anything?" Viktoria asked, eyes wide. She strode over and wrapped her arms around me

Sobbing brokenly into her shoulder, I told her. "E-Eric said th-that if he doesn't m-marry Lissa, he's going to be put into prison and tried for treason! Or, well, I guess Queen Bitch said it." I sniffled pathetically. "Besides, what good would it do? We're not supposed to be together. I'm not eighteen yet. At best, he'll be stripped of his title and thrown into prison for statutory rape. At worst, he'll be thrown into prison and killed for treason. Tatiana doesn't care about us. All she cares about is coddling her precious little Royals. The only reason she's trying so hard is because she wants more dhampirs. And me, because she hates me for some reason."

"Queen Tatiana hates you?" Viktoria wondered. "Why?"

That's all she got out of my whole speech?! I shrugged, staring at the wall blankly. "I'm not sure, but maybe..." I sighed. "It's something my mom told me once."

"What?"

I sighed again. "When I was ten, my mom visited for the first time since she'd dropped me off. Or, well, her charge visited and she had to be there..."

_I jumped on her excitedly. "Mommy, mommy, mommy! You're here!" I cried out._

_Mom looked at me, then peeled me away from her. "Quite carrying on so," she snapped. "I'm on duty, something you know nothing of."_

_I backed off, looking down in shame. "I'm sorry mom. How long will you be staying? Will you see me before you leave?" I looked up at her hopefully._

_Mom glared at me so fiercely I cowered away. "If it weren't for you, I would be in a prestigious position, guarding my best friend. You disgust me. Get out of my sight."_

_After staring at her for a moment, I turned around and ran, collapsing in Lissa's arms in tears at the first chance. _

"Wow," Viktoria whispered. "I'm so sorry. So you think that that's why Tatiana hates you?"

"Maybe," I said softly. "Makes sense. But I don't know." I sighed. "I just want to sleep," I mumbled tiredly, pulling away from her.

Viktoria gave me a soft smile. "Go on and sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow."

I nodded, my whole body sagging. I trudged over to the bed opposite Vika's, simply collapsing on top of the blankets, unable to move any longer.

"Aren't you going to changed?"

Sighing again, I awkwardly pulled off my jeans, sneakers, and socks, then took off my bra, all while laying down. Keeping my shirt on, I snuggled beneath the blanket and closed my eyes, falling quickly into blissful oblivion.

* * *

The next morning, the nightmare that was my life officially began.

Getting out of bed was only the first torture I would suffer in this hell. The time zone change through me in for a loop; I no longer knew what night and day were. Then there were the classes themselves.

Sadly, Viktoria wasn't present in any of them, seeing as she was a junior. So I had to struggle with catching up on school work and unraveling the confusing language that was Russian. Needless to say, I was hopelessly lost.

The only bright spot in the whole day was a Moroi guy who decided to become my self appointed best friend, and even that brightness was highly diminished.

On the way to breakfast that morning, a tall Moroi guy stopped directly in front of me, and I, in my sleepy state, ran head long into him.

"Do you mind?" I grumbled, trying to get around.

"Are you always this pleasant?" he asked, amusement in his voice.

I scowled. "Only when arrogant Moroi keep me from my breakfast with their alcohol scented breath," I snapped back. It was true; he smelled of alcohol and clove cigarettes, a combination which was making me nauseated.

"Oh, I do apologize. Adrian Ivashkov."

A hand appeared in front of my face, and my head jerked up at the sound of the name.

Up to this point, I had been staring down, my eyes going no higher than his expensive looking royal blue shirt. Now my eyes traveled up, to see pale skin, a smirking mouth, to brilliant green eyes and brown, messy hair.

I raised my eyebrows. "Shouldn't you be in college?" Great, the Queen's great nephew is standing in front of me and that's all I can think to say?

Adrian clearly thought the same. "Aren't you dazzled by my good looks, Little Dhampir?" he asked, smiling.

I rolled my eyes and and sighed. "No, I'm just a bit dizzy from the lack of food and the disgusting cigarette smell emanating from you," I replied.

"No respect these days," Adrian said chastising.

I rolled my eyes again. "Oh, so sorry, Lord Ivashkov," I said sarcastically, sweeping him an exaggerated bow. "Now may I go eat?"

"Oh, of course! I can tell we're going to be the best of friends," he said jovially, falling into step with me as I staggered to the cafeteria.

I scowled. "Sorry, I already have a best friend. She looks and acts nothing like you," I snapped.

"Rose?" I looked up to see Vika waving me frantically over to the food line.

I hurried over to her, hoping to escape Adrian. No such luck; he followed me, chatting the whole way.

Viktoria shot me a questioning look, but I just shrugged and got my food before following her to her table.

The subsequent classes dragged. Adrian followed me like a lost puppy. The only good thing that came from it is the fact that he translated for me.

Weeks passed and I slowly adjusted to school, with no help from Adrian. He kept badgering me and following me, being an irritating Royal. His showing in my classes was sporadic, forcing me to put extra time into my studies, time I never needed before.

Of course, I had lots of free time, so really, it wasn't difficult to fit in study sessions. Viktoria tried to get me to hang out with her friends, but worry and my aching for Dimitri had me depressed and antisocial.

Though both Viktoria and I mailed letters, emailed, and tried to call Dimitri, it was to no avail. All we received was silence. At night, I worried myself sick, wondering if he was still alive. I couldn't even get word to Lissa, which made me think that someone was intentionally blocking me from Dimitri.

This fact was confirmed by Adrian, of all people. I was in my room one day, crazy with worry, nearing my breaking point, when Adrian found me.

After asking what was wrong continuously for over an hour, I finally broke down, tears, snot, screaming and all, and told him everything. He held me for hours afterward, comforting me, calming me down. At some point, Viktoria came in, but after a brief conversation with Adrian, she left again. I was glad; I didn't want her to witness my breakdown.

At midnight, when the sun was high in the sky, Adrian pulled out his phone.

"Here, Little Dhampir," he said softly, showing me an email program. "Send him an email. Don't say anything explicit. I'm sure his emails are tracked and read. They might not read anything from this account, since it's an official Court account, but you never know. Sign it using something that only the two of you know."

I stared at the phone in my hand like it was a lifeline. It was, really. I couldn't believe that after six weeks without communication, I had the chance to tell my love everything. I felt Adrian get off the bed, where we were both currently sitting.

"I'll leave you alone. Just stick your head out once you're done, alright?"

I nodded, feeling numb. I didn't know what to say, how to react. What do you say to someone you previously found nothing more than a vexation, felt borderline hate towards, but who gave you a way to communicate with the love of your life despite the risks? Hearing the door close, I dared to look up.

The room was empty, no one but myself in it. I looked back down at the blank email document. How to put six weeks of pain and worry and heartache in to encrypted words that would get to him and not get anyone in trouble?

After ten minutes of thought, I finally began.

_Dear Comrade,_

I paused. Would anyone know that's what I called him? I decided to risk it, knowing that there was a chance he might not read it otherwise.

_How is your engagement coming along? I'm doing okay. Your sister says hi. Don't forget the promise. I didn't. I miss you. _

_Have a good night,_

I paused again. How would I sign it? _Roza_ was too obvious. I couldn't use any of the cute pet names all other couples used. I frowned. On a whim, I signed it _Vika._ Then I went back and changed 'sister' to 'best friend.' I held onto the hope that he would realise it was me and not Viktoria.

I stared at the five small, emotionless sentences, at the ridiculous closing. It took everything in me to not throw the phone across the room, to not watch it smash into little bits and pieces against the wall. I wanted to tell Dimitri everything - every little thing. But I couldn't. _I couldn't. _I was _powerless. _That made me so angry, hopelessly angry, because there was nothing I could do. I felt a part of me die as I hit _send_. I locked the phone and put it on the bedside table, then curled up in a fetal position like the weak, pathetic little girl I'd become, and cried.

* * *

Three days passed before Dimitri sent back a reply, one just as useless and emotionless as mine.

_Dear Vika,_

_My engagement is going as well as it was the last time I talked to you. I'm glad you're doing okay. Make sure you focus on your school work so you can graduate and get to guard someone important. Tell my best friend that I said hi as well. I remember the promise very well. Don't forget yours. I miss you very much. _

_I hope to see you soon,_

_Dimitri. _

I stared at the email for a full ten minutes before coming to terms with the fact that it was all I was going to get. I sighed and closed my eyes, not having the energy to answer it just yet.

It would be a full week before I would be able to reply, as I met my father the next day.

Abe Mazur was an infamous mobster, but his power wasn't what it used to be. At least, that's what he told me when I asked him to fix my problem.

He had decided to find me, now that I was eighteen. Having spent my birthday curled up crying on my bed, I didn't think much of it. Apparently, he had no idea of my existence until I was about five and already enrolled in the Academy. Janine had forbidden him to see me, due to the nature of his work. Now that I was eighteen, she had no say whatsoever.

Abe really stepped up in his role as a father. Well, as much as he was able to, anyway. After all, he'd missed eighteen years of my life, his stalking not counting. According to him, he was the reason I was able to go on trips and do things requiring parent signature; my mother certainly hadn't signed anything. He'd also had guardians and Moroi watching over me, making sure I was safe and happy. I found it sweet, in a completely creepy way.

Regardless of his stalking tendencies, he was up to date on all the goings on in my life, so I didn't have to explain much. Once I got over the shock, hurt, and excitement of finally meeting my father, and after I destroyed a handful of dummies, we began hatching a plan to get both Dimitri and I out of this situation safely and happily.

Naturally, the plan involved risking Moroi, something I wasn't wild about, but it was necessary. If it all worked out, no one would get hurt. For the first time in my life, I went to church and prayed.

* * *

The months leading up to graduation were filled with alternating nervous excitement and downright fear. The entire 'rescue mission,' as we'd dubbed it, hinged on my assignment. Lissa and Dimitri's wedding would be in August, as Dimitri informed me, so we had a good three months to smooth out any wrinkles.

I passed my trials with flying colors, getting the highest score by far. _If only Dimitri was here,_ I thought wistfully as I celebrated my graduation with the other dhampirs. Despite my best efforts to keep away from people, I managed to gain many friends. I could only hope that it was a good thing and would help in the grand scheme of things.

Things finally came to a head as we gathered in Court to get our assignments.

"Oh please be someone important, please be someone important," I whispered softly to myself, fingers crossed.

Finally, I received my packet of information for my Moroi. Holding my breath, I opened it quickly, praying.

_Sebastian Voda. _

I exhaled with relief. Sebastian Voda was Priscilla Voda's nephew. Since Priscilla Voda was the Queen's best friend and adviser, it would be safe to assume that her nephew would be attending the wedding. My shoulders sagged as the tension left them. Abe really had come through.

Now the fun began.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, sorry for the long wait. School was being a butt, and I just kind of...well, my muse took a brief vacation :P

Long chapter, though! A bit rushed, do you think? As you can probably tell, this story is coming to a close. There's maybe...two? Three chapters left? Something like that :P

Hey, did y'all hear about the casting? Sooo happy that Dimitri is actually Russian 3 that's really all I care about xD

Anyway, thank you to the following people for reviewing my story: **kcripep** (haha as much as that would be kind cool, nah :p),** Mori Belicov Hathaway** (is that better explained, why she didn't fight?)**, XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX, Kay1a** (I know! I am so, sorry! Don't cry! Abe is here :D),** Vampswols4L, J** (I would never do that. I hate that story line. Haha, I can tell...it's okay, everyone has them(: Good, I don't want to die! Oh God! I updated! No siccing vampire bunnies on me! xD), **Corinna** (you are just adorable, you know that? Your review is so cute :D I'm so sorry for making you cry, then leaving you hanging for this long! I won't hurt them, don't worry!)**, Dimka's chick **(I found a loop hole :D Ish...not very legal, but still! (;), **ClauIloveDimitriBelikov** (thank you so much! I try :D Nope, he's not, it's all the Queen's fault!), **RozaRocks **(thank you! And yes, they won't be apart for long! :D),** Katylou1986, xX Dimka's girl 4 ever Xx** (well, like she said, we make our own futures :D),** Gaspazha Belikova **(so sorry I made you wait! I hope you like this! :D),** LolitaPop27** (And yet, whenever I read your second review, I feel like you're talking about me xD And for the record, my butt is NOT big! xD Well, Lissa's reaction...she won't get the chance to really feel bad...;),** Music books horses** (quite yet? o.O I'm really enjoying that story, and I don't hate you! Haha xD), **XxXRose-DimitriForeverXxX, shadow-kissed angel** (I don't know...(;), **Lori9048** (too late...sorry!)


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own VA

I stood in the back of the church, smoothing down my shirt. It was risky, very risky, for me to be here. I had been officially uninvited to the wedding, and I'd witnessed what happened to uninvited guests: they were dragged out - literally. The only thing I had going for me was the fact that I was a guardian. Sebastian had been invited, and by default, so had I.

Sebastian Voda was alright. Not the greatest guy, but he treated me with respect. He understood that his life lay in my hands, and he was grateful that I kept it safe. In the last two months of guarding him, we had become good friends, and I would be sad to see him go. Not sad enough to end this operation, certainly not, but sad nonetheless.

I sighed, then ducked behind the curtain as Priscilla Voda walked by. She most definitely knew that I shouldn't be here, and it was imperative that I stayed.

I let out a relieved breath when Princess Voda walked to a different part of the church. Anticipation trickled through me. I could almost taste the sweet flavor of my reunion with Dimitri.

The ceremony couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

A few eternities later, Dimitri stood at the altar. I drank in the first sight of him I'd had since our goodbye. He looked absolutely gorgeous in his tux, his hair neatly tucked into a ponytail. From what I could tell, he'd gotten it trimmed. A smiled tugged at my lips, and when the music started, I almost walked down the aisle before remembering myself.

All heads turned as Lissa appeared. She looked like a dream; whoever designed her wedding gown captured her character perfectly. It was the purest white I had ever seen, wispy, diaphanous*, insubstantial. Lissa floated down the aisle, seemingly not touching the ground. A gold band circled her waist, and a bouquet of lilies and pink roses, a shade so light it was almost fake, was gathered in her hands.

My heart ached at the sight. As much as I wanted to watch my best friend walk down the aisle, as much as I would love to see Dimitri at the altar, I wished these two events were mutually _ex_clusive, not mutually _in_clusive. An effulgent** smile sat on Lissa's mouth, her face glowing. At the same time, I could see a sadness lingering in her eyes, the only indication that she wasn't one hundred percent happy about this union. But what could she do?

Eric, Lissa on his arm, walked proudly and confidently to the altar, then joined Lissa's and Dimitri's hands together in an action that pierced me right to my soul. An ache formed behind my eyes.

The preacher began the ceremony. "We are gathered here today..."

As much as it pained me, I listened carefully to the preacher, waiting for my cue. _And in three, two, one..._

"Should anyone here present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Silence rang in the church as I stepped out from behind the curtain I'd hidden. The preacher's eyes instantly zeroed in on me, widening. With the shift in his focus, everyone turned to look at me, horror in various degrees ranging along all the face.

"I object!" I said loudly, my hands shaking. I stared at Dimitri. "Don't do it, Comrade. I love you."

Dimitri's eyes met mine, a thousand messages passing in a split second. Simultaneously, we turned to Lissa.

"I'm sorry!" we both blurted out. And then we were running.

I started off at a jogged, one hand behind me, giving Dimitri a chance to catch up. He did so in an instant, grabbing my hand as we sprinted, bursting out of the church doors.

"After them!" Tatiana's voice screeched. "Use any means necessary! Treason! Traitors!"

The guardians sprang into motion. A bullet whizzed by my ear, as others shot passed the two of us. Dimitri let out a small gasp, giving me my next cue.

"Spider monkey!" I screamed, and a could seconds later, a weight jumped onto my back, jarring me. I stumbled, but hours of practice helped me right my footing instantly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dimitri stumbled briefly before righting himself.

Another bullet pinged nearby, and a guardian shouted, "Stop! They have Moroi!"

I grinned in spite of the situation. "Just a little more, Comrade," I gasped out.

"Right, Rose, right!" Mia yelled into my ear.

I zoomed off to the right. "That Jeep, right there."

I skidded to a halt in front of the rear door. "Go, go, go!" Mia slid off my back, shielding me with her body.

I yanked the door open and waved Dimitri in. He awkwardly hobbled in, and I jumped in afterward. Mia slammed the door, and got into the driver's seat, Adrian jumping into the passenger. We sped off in a squeal of the tires.

Dimitri and I crouched on the floor of the back seat.

"Roza," he breathed, caressing my face. "How did you...?"

"With a lot of planning, Comrade," I gave him a smile, but before we could have our reunion, Adrian spoke.

"Who's bleeding?" he asked.

I flared my nostrils, the smelling of blood hitting me suddenly. "Dimitri!"

"I'm fine," he said, wincing.

I snorted. "Yeah, okay. Where were you hit?" I realised he was hit _by a bullet._

"Rose, it's nothing, okay? Besides, what can we do? We're being chased by guardians, who, may I reminded you, are still shooting at us?"

I shook my head. "They're trying to shoot the tires, and if you hadn't yet noticed by the tossing and turning of the car, Mia is very good at avoiding them," I replied, refusing to let go the subject of his wound.

"Um, Rose? I think it was his thigh. I think it might have grazed his femoral vein."

My eyes widened to the size of saucers. "_Femoral vein? _And you say _you're fine!_" Everyone in the car winced at my screeching voice.

Adrian suddenly turned around in his seat, put his hand on Dimitri's leg. Closing his eyes, his face furrowed with concentration. I could now see the bullet hole in Dimitri's leg, and the subsequent blood surrounding it. I swallowed the lump in my throat. There was a _lot_ of blood. In the dim light, I could see Dimitri was paler than he had been a few minutes ago. I had to look away to avoid throwing up.

Adrian's gasp drew my attention again. Now it was Adrian who was pale, as color began to come back into Dimitri's face.

"You healed him?" A stupid question, really. What did I think he was doing? Groping my boyfriend?

Adrian just rolled his eyes, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "What'd you think I would do? Let him bleed to death?"

"You...healed me?" Dimitri was dumbstruck.

Adrian nodded, settling back in his seat.

"Thank you." Dimitri turned to me, drinking me in the way I had him. "Roza," he whispered. "How did you manage this?"

I sighed and shifted on the floor into a more comfortable position. I pitied Dimitri, stuck in this small space with his huge frame, but it was the best way to stay safe. Since we were on civilian roads now, the guardians chasing us couldn't shoot at the car without risk of injuring someone, so we were somewhat safe.

"Hang on, it's going to be a bit bumpy," Mia warned us, making a sharp left turn. "We're going off-road now."

I looked at her with amusement. "You're having way too much fun with this, you know that?" I said wryly.

Mia flashed me her teeth.

I turned to Dimitri. "Well, it's a long story, and I don't think we'll be able to get through all of it, since we'll have to trade vehicles in about ten minutes, then we'll have to cross a couple more boarders before we meet up with someone who will take us to a safe house." I took a deep breath. "Hm. Where to start?"

"The beginning?" Dimitri prompted helpfully.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Which one, though?"

"Start from where you left," Dimitri suggested.

I exhaled. "Alright. So, I flew to Russia and was given my dorm assignment. I ended up with Viktoria, weirdly enough. Although, that might have been Abe's doing," I mused. "Anyway, I explained the situation to her, then went to bed. The next day, I met that doofus." I pointed to Adrian.

Adrian turned around and flashed me a grin. "Yup, and I'm her best friend."

I rolled my eyes again, but didn't correct him. I didn't know if I should; he'd done so much for me. "So, we tried contacting you, Vika and I, but we couldn't get through. I couldn't even contact Lissa. On top of all of that, I had to deal with Russian school. By the way, you'll be pleased to know that I have been forced to learn Russian, so I am now very fluent." Dimitri smiled at that. "Then, one day..." I trailed off. How to phrase it? I didn't want to get into the whole emotional mess with the other two in the car. "One day I was very upset," I said carefully, "and Adrian found me. He gave me his email and our contact began." Dimitri nodded. "Then, the day after you sent me the reply, I met my dad." Dimitri's eyes widened. "I know, shocking. So after we had our little reunion, he helped me hatch a plan to get you out of the wedding. Oh, my dad's Abe Mazur." I thought Dimitri's eyeballs would fall out at that one. "Yeah. But apparently he didn't have enough power to get us completely out of this, so this was our solution."

A sharp right turn threw me into Dimitri. I gasped at the contact, feeling a flood of relief, as if I'd been in pain, but now that he was touching me it went away. It hit me then, that this was the first time we'd touched in months, barring the brief hand holding we'd had on the run from the church. Gazing into Dimitri's eyes, I knew he was feeling the same thing.

"Hey, lovebirds? Now's not the time." Adrian's voice broke the spell on us.

Slowly, oh so slowly, I pulled away from his arms. However, our hands stayed linked.

"So," I began, my voice a bit husky, "Abe got me assigned to someone going to the wedding. Mia, as you know, moved to court shortly before I left, and met Adrian there. They hit it off, and when he was sent to St. Basil's they obviously kept in touch. When we realised that the only way we wouldn't be shot as soon as we left would be to use Moroi, he recruited Mia to be our shields. I hated that idea, still do, but we had to do it. The plan was for me to interrupt the wedding, and us run. Abe would get your family out. Christian would take care of Lissa's happiness. Then, when we were out, if we were being shot at, the Moroi would jump on our backs, protecting us. Then Mia would drive us to a drop off point, we'll get a new car, and drive to some other state, which I'm not sure. Then, we'll meet an alchemist, who will take us to a safe house, and there we will stay for a bit, before moving somewhere else." Silence rang in the car after my last words.

I could see Dimitri struggling to come to terms with everything. I sympathized; I'd had months to figure all of this out and accept it. All he had was now, while we were in the middle of the plan.

The car jerked to a stop, interrupting my train of thought.

"Everybody out! Meet at the sea board in a half hour." She gave me a meaningful look.

I nodded and all of us bolted from the car. It took a few moments to uncramp my legs. I could see Dimitri doing the same thing out of the corner of my eye, and then we were off.

"Where are we going?" he hissed.

"Just...act normal," I replied as we reached the crowds of people waiting for a movie. I had a brilliant idea then. "Let's get a movie, Comrade."

"I - what?!" He gave me a look that clearly said he thought something was wrong with me.

"Yeah." I glanced back to the way we'd come and saw a guardian. I grabbed Dimitri's hand and pulled him to the ticket counter.

After getting the tickets, I pulled him into the theater. "Rose, what are you doing?" he hissed.

"Blending in," I muttered back.

"Ooh..."

We made our way to the middle of the theater, sitting in the section closest to the wall, away from any light.

"What's the sea board?" Dimitri whispered in my ear.

"The place where we'll be getting our car," I whispered back. "Codename of a sort."

"Did we need a codename?" he asked, puzzled.

I gave him a sheepish smile. "No, but I wanted one."

Dimitri chuckled and put his arm around me. "I missed you so, so much, my Roza." I could hear the pain in his voice.

I cuddled closer to him. "I missed you too, my Comrade. I love you." I leaned up and kissed him, probably the stupidest thing I could have done.

Dimitri instantly kissed me back with such ferocity, I was afraid we'd get kicked out, but didn't care enough to stop. The only thing that kept me from climbing into his lap was the rapidly fading memory of the plan.

We pulled apart to breathe, but i didn't want to stop touching him, stop kissing him, and trailed kiss down to his neck.

"R-Roza," Dimitri gasped out. "Th-the plan."

I groaned, burying my head in his neck. "No time?"

I felt Dimitri shake his head. "No. Not at all." He lifted his arm. He must have checked the time because he said, "We have ten minutes to get to wherever we're meeting them."

I sighed, blowing warm air over his neck, causing him to shudder, before I pulled away.

"We better get going then," I said softly. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can be on our way, the sooner we arrive, the sooner we're safe."

Dimitri gave me a long look before nodding. "Then let's go."

We pushed our way through the sitting people, receiving grumbling in return.

After making sure no guardians were near the entrance, we casually walked to the parking lot.

Though we had to duck behind several cars to avoid detection, we managed to reach our destination without hassle.

We stopped at the car. I looked around, wondering what was taking Mia and Adrian so long. Dimitri, on the other hand, was staring at the car.

"Roza," he finally said. "What is this?"

"Hm?" I mumbled, still looking around.

Dimitri tugged on my arm and I glanced behind myself. "What?"

He pointed at the car. "What _is _that _thing_?"

I snorted. "It's a Geo Metro***. What's wrong with it?"

Dimitri gave me an aghast look. "What's wrong with it?! It looks like Barney!"

I chuckled. "I didn't even know you knew what Barney was," I replied.

Dimitri grimaced. "Unfortunately, I do. I really don't want to ride in Barney."

A full blown smirk settled on my face. "Too bad, Comrade. You're going to have to."

Dimitri pouted. "But Roza, I don't think I'll even fit."

I frowned, not having considered that. I looked between the car and Dimitri calculatingly. "No, you'll fit. It'll be a tight squeeze, and you'll have to sit in the front, but you'll fit."

"I thought we were supposed to be incognito," he whined. "Be under the radar."

"We are. No one would ever think that we'd ride in this thing. Besides, it's so small, we _are _under radar. Literally."

Dimitri opened his mouth to argue once more, but the arrival of Mia and Adrian stopped it.

"What took you guys so long?" I asked.

"Well, we're not as experienced at hiding and blending in as you. We had to get creative. You forget how much we stand out," Mia gasped out, breathless from running. "Alright, everyone in."

"Dimitri will have to be up front since he's so huge," I piped up.

Mia frowned. "So Adrian will have to drive." She turned to him. "You know where we're going, right?"

Adrian snorted. "I was there when we planned it, wasn't I?"

Mia smiled. "Yes you were." They held each others eyes for a long moment, until I cleared my throat awkwardly.

Mia blinked. "Right."

She opened the door and hit the lever to push the seat forward then crawled into the back - literally.

I crawled in after her, and Dimitri pushed the seat back before folding himself awkwardly into the vehicle.

"I would love to know where you go this. A junk yard?" Dimitri questioned.

"No ,actually, Abe knew a guy who knew a guy who wanted to sell this," Mia replied.

"I can see why," Dimitri muttered, taking in the bare interior with distaste.

"It's not a bad car," Mia defended it.

"Mia, love, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be caught dead in this," Adrian commented. "It's a good thing we're supposed to be hiding. Otherwise, I would never go within ten feet of this piece of crap."

Mia and I exchanged a looked and rolled our eyes. "How long until we get to the alchemist?" I asked.

"A few hours," Adrian replied vaguely.

"Where are we going?" Dimitri asked.

"Missouri," Adrian said.

"Missouri? What's in Missouri?" Dimitri said, bewildered.

"Nothing," I grumbled. "Exactly why we're going there."

Mia giggled. "Yeah, Rose isn't too please with our choice."

"I was hoping somewhere like California, but Abe claimed it was 'too popular,'" I said, using air quotes. "I told him that it would be easier to get lost in the crowds, but all he did was smile and walk away."

"I'm sure we can move to California in a couple years," Dimitri reasoned.

I pouted. "It's not the same."

After that, no one really spoke. Adrian turned on the radio, filling the silence with music. I wanted to be sitting next to Dimitri so we could at least hold hands, but the size of the car inhibited us. Suddenly, I liked the car much less. Stupid Geo Metro.

Instead, we held hands over the seat. It wasn't the same, but it was something. I knew Dimitri wanted to talk to me, and I wanted to talk to him, but the presence of Adrian and Mia made it impossible. So we stayed silent and basked in the comfort of each other.

The drive flew by for me, as I fell asleep shortly after we passed the Ohio border. I hadn't slept the night before, too worried about the wedding. Now the fatigue caught up to me and I slept like a baby through the rest of the ride.

Dimitri shook me awake when we reached Missouri.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," he murmured.

I blinked my eyes open. "Huh? We're here already?" I said groggily.

Dimitri nodded. "I would have carried you out of the car, but, well." He shrugged.

I was starting to seriously hate this car.

I clambered out of it, stretching my tense muscles.

"This is where we part, Rose," Adrian said dramatically.

"Yeah, I know." I went over to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you for risking your life today," I whispered.

"It's nothing, Rose. Though she is my aunt, she has no right controlling your life likes this," Adrian murmured back. "Take care Rose. We'll keep in touch." He released me.

Next, I walked to Mia. The small blonde threw herself into my arms. "Oh, Rose, I never thought you'd be the one to fall in love first. I'm going to miss you so much. Be safe, alright? We'll keep in touch."

I squeezed her tight to me. "If you get the chance, tell Lissa everything, okay?"

Mia nodded, then let go. "The alchemist is right over there, so, be safe and don't do anything stupid." She kissed me on the cheek, then went over to say goodbye to Dimitri.

I watched morosely as Mia and Adrian got back into the car and drove off. _This is it, _I thought. _My life as a refugee official starts._

* * *

_A/N: _Mk, the first *: diaphanous: airy, light, transparent. **: effulgent: splendid, radiant. Sorry, those are two of my vocab words, and I figured might as well use them :D The third...well, I didn't think anyone would know what a Geo Metro is, so here's the pic: static . Cargurus images/site/2009/01/09/20/22/1996_geo_metro_2_dr_lsi_hatchback-pic-168 . jpeg You can look at it on my profile too :P

I stayed home today, just to write this chapter for you :D Jk, I stayed home cuz I didn't feel good and bonded with my oldest brother watching the Smittybuilt Every Man Challenge. It's an off-road race on the King of the Hammers track. Anyone live near Johnson Valley, California?

What do you think? There's a chapter after this, maybe two. I'm not sure if I'm going to write an epilogue, or do a sequel. Either would work. I think. Either way, we'll cross that bridge once we get to it :P

Hey does anyone know where Dimkaisshmexy24 disappeared off to?

Thank you for reviewing to** Mori Belicov Hathaway, RozaRocks** (thanks :D I figured everyone would love Abe (:),** J** (Yeah, I should...I've been so caught up with this story, though. I'm not sure what I should do for Wide Awake :P I'll try to update it soon. She's marrying a dhampir, who I'm not sure yet. I've seen it, just never read it. You should write them and post them! They've done a pretty good job with the movie, from what I've heard. The actresses/actor they've chosen is pretty good, and Richelle Mead likes the script, so it can't be too bad. I love that they chose a Russian for Dimitri xD There's no trailer yet; like the 'Official Vampire Academy Movie' on Facebook; you'll get all the updates for the movie :D),** vampiregirl2014** (clsoe call!), and **Gaspazha Belikova **(It is, isn't it? Oh, I do love the actor playing Dimitri! No fake Russian accent! Yay for the production team! xD Yes, a bit cunning. Not too, much, though :P).


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own VA

Sydney was the Alchemist who would take us to our new house.

The small town of Festus, Missouri, was only about 5 square miles, not much of a place to get lost. Abe knew best, though, and I hoped that the town was out of the way enough that no one would think of looking there.

"So, what's our story?" I asked Sydney, who was driving. Dimitri and me were cuddled up in the back of the jeep we were in, a vehicle that seemed to be common in Missouri.

"You're just a newly engaged couple looking for a quiet place to live," Sydney explained. "Make friends with the locals, get a job. Your cousins Lori and James live next door. They were the ones that told you about the family that was moving away and suggested you move next to them."

"So, who are Lori and James?" I asked.

"They're an old, retired dhampir couple," Sydney replied, an uncomfortable look coming over her face. "Abe had me contact them, and after I explained the situation, they were more than happy to claim being your family. I think they're been telling the whole town of the fact that family is moving in."

I didn't understand why she was so uncomfortable.

"I'm sure everyone thinks they are human," Dimitri assured her. "We're much better at subtlety than Moroi are."

My brow knitted at his words. "What...? Oh!" I realised that Sydney had been afraid that they had let slip that they weren't human.

In the mirror, I saw Sydney grimace.

"Don't worry," I reassured her. "We can be subtle. It's not that difficult. Bad enough there are humans that are being contacted by Strigoi and cajoled into the ranks. I'm not about to open up the gateway to the Moroi world and give Strigoi more troops."

Sydney's surprised eyes met mine in the mirror, before dropping back to the road. "Thank you," she said tightly.

The Jeep stopped at a medium sized house. It was a soft cream color, one story with a large porch. Light blue curtains fluttered in the breeze from the open windows. All in all, it looked, well, _homey._

"_That's_ our house?" I inquired, surprised.

Sydney nodded. "Do you like it?"

I nodded eagerly, climbing out of the car. "It's beautiful."

Dimitri also nodded, coming out of the car behind me. Sydney followed.

"You don't have to worry about the real estate agent," she said, "That's all taken care of. There's everything you need, TV., furniture, appliances, even internet. All you need to do is, well, get clothing. There is food already in the fridge."

I nodded absentmindedly. "Thank you," I murmured, gazing around the property.

I paused at the door, glancing back questioningly. "The key?"

"On the table in the kitchen," Sydney replied, staying close to the car.

"Okay." I turned the knob. The door swung outward silently to reveal a kitchen. White Granite counters lined one wall, with a microwave and a double sink. The floors were wood. Opposite the counter sat a table, and next to them was the fridge.

"Wow," I whispered. The walls were a soft yellow, with a large window facing the street. "A pretty place for you to cook, Comrade."

Dimitri wrapped his arms around me. "Isn't it?" He kissed my neck lightly, then pulled away. "Sydney is still here."

"Oh, we need to get the bags," I remembered.

"Bags?" Dimitri said, mystified,

I nodded and jogged back out. Sydney was now leaning against the Jeep.

"Did you forget something? Need something?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Well, yes, I need to get our bags." I felt Dimitri come up behind me.

"Oh, right," Sydney nodded and circled to the driver's side. She popped open the hatch. "Here you go. Anything else?"

I shook my head. "No, we're good," I said cheerfully, pulling out the duffel bags Adrian, Mia, and I had packed. They were filled with clothing for both Dimitri and I, along with personal belongings. Dimitri had been packed to move in with Lissa, so Abe had simply stolen those bags and suit cases too, before transferring the items within them into his own bags. That way, nothing pointed to Court, or where we were located.

"Wait, did Abe seriously steal my stuff?" Dimitri exclaimed, opening one bag to see what was in it.

I grinned. "Of course! You didn't think that he would make us buy all new stuff, and also lose anything personal, did you?"

Dimitri shrugged, zipping the bag up again.

Between the two of us, we really didn't have that much. I took only the essentials with me, and so did Dimitri by the looks of it. We dumped all the bags in the living room, giving it a cursory glance before going back out to say goodbye to Sydney. We'd have all the time in the world to explore the house.

"Stay safe," I told her seriously. "Thank you so much for helping us. I hope that this doesn't hurt you."

Sydney shrugged, looking uncomfortable again. "I'll be fine. You take care and don't get in trouble."

She jumped back into the Jeep, and drove off with one last wave.

Dimitri and I watched her leave before wandering back to the house.

"So, we're living together now," Dimitri observed as we leaned together against the counter.

I grinned up at him. "Yes, we are."

He looked down at me, smiling his brilliant smile. It then occurred to me that for the first time since several months ago, Dimitri and I were completely and utterly alone, barring the movie theater.

I could see the same realisation seize him.

"Roza," he whispered, his eyes darkening. He shifted so that he stood in front of me, pinning me against the counter. Slowly, he lifted his hand and ran it down my face to my neck and then wound itself in my hair. I shuddered at the feeling and pressed myself closer to him.

Every so slowly, he leaned his head down until our lips were a breath away. He pressed them together with the slightest pressure, as if afraid I would disappear. I was having none of that and pressed even closer, driving our lips together.

Dimitri gasped and instantly we were attacking each other. We couldn't get close enough; no matter how entwined our bodies became, there was too much space. We had been apart too long.

Dimitri lifted me on the counter and I wrapped my legs around him securely. Something told me we weren't going to go very far past the kitchen.

Something like Abe's voice.

"You know, the least you could do is wait until I'm gone," he said casually.

Dimitri jerked away from me, or at least tried to, seeing as I was wrapped tightly around him.

I sighed and leaned my head against the cupboard behind me, still holding on to Dimitri, who was now trying to extricate himself from my body. I was hoping he would realise that I wasn't letting him go any time soon.

"Or, you know, you could just leave," I suggested, turning my head to stare at my father.

"Roza," Dimitri hissed chastising.

I rolled my eyes. "Calm down, Dimitri. Not like he's going to do anything."

Abe raised an eyebrow. "You greatly underestimate me, little girl."

I snorted. "You underestimate me, old man. You know what would happen if you tried _anything_."

Abe rolled his eyes. "Clearly, you are my daughter," he said dryly. He turned his eyes to Dimitri. "Long time, no see."

Dimitri stared back defiantly. "No long enough," he grunted.

"Oh, come now. I'm not so bad. I kept your father away, didn't I?"

Dimitri gave him a warning look, which he laughed at. "Oh, don't worry, Rose already knows."

Dimitri looked at me questioningly. I nodded. "Yup, I know all about how after you beat up your father, Abe kept him from coming back with a legion of guardians, or going to court," I said in a bored voice.

"Oh," Dimitri mumbled.

"So, old man, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm here to give you your car and your new identities. From now on, in this town you are Rose Jinks and Dimitri is is Dimitri Holinder."

I snorted. "Those are lame names," I grumbled.

Abe smiled thinly. "They are average and unmemorable names," he replied. "If you want to leave the country, you will become Jessica Johnson, and he will become David Johnson. Even more average names. There are about a million people with those names, related somehow."

Abe set two folders filled with documents onto the table. I hopped off the counter and glanced at them. One folder was filled with documents such as birth certificate, driver's license, passports, social security, etc., for a Rose Jinks and a Jessica Johnson, and the other one contained the same for a Dimitri Holinder and a David Johnson.

"Wow, you really went all out," I commented, impressed. I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Thanks, Dad."

Abe hugged me back briefly. "You're welcome, daughter," he muttered back gruffly.

We pulled away simultaneously. He pulled out a key chain from his pocket, identical to the one sitting on the table, except with four extra keys.

"Here." He handed it to me. "There are two sets of car keys. One is for the jeep, one is for the truck."

I raised my eyebrows, unable to raise just one. "Truck _and_ jeep?"

Abe nodded. "You two will have two jobs, and will need tow vehicles. All the information you need is in the folders. Insurance is jointed between the two of you, as is everything else," he explained.

I nodded, setting the keys on the table. I'd take care of it later. "Thank you," I said sincerely.

Abe nodded. "Anything for my daughter."

I smiled. "You're the best dad ever."

"Well, have fun, kids. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked.

"Dad!" I cried out, mortified. I found it easier to call him dad now, much easier than before.

Abe chuckled. "Take care of her," he said seriously to Dimitri. He walked to the door, then paused. "I'll be in touch."

He walked out.

We were left staring at the documents.

"Well," I said frankly. "That's one way to kill the mood."

Dimitri chuckled. "Never thought I'd see the day that Rose Hathaway isn't in the mood to make love," he joked.

I rolled my eyes. I was doing that a lot today. Maybe because I was surrounded by idiotic men. "It just hit me," I said honestly. "We can never go back, never see anyone. None of our friends. Hell, we probably can't even see your family." I sighed, feeling melancholy.

Dimitri hugged me. "It'll get easier," he assured me. "And it won't last forever. Just maybe a year, until we can visit. Let everything die down."

I nodded, attempting a halfhearted smile. "I just...what if there was some way to avoid all of this? What if there was a way out of the wedding? But then, what if there wasn't and we took the chance and you ended up married to her? There's so much that could happen once you're legally bound together." I shuddered at the thought.

Dimitri held me tighter. "But I'm not, Roza," he murmured. "I'm right here with you. We are together. Don't worry so much."

He tilted his head and kissed me. I knew he was trying to distract me and get my mind off of everything, so I let him. I kissed him back fiercely and within seconds, we ended up exactly where we were last time: me on the counter, wrapped around Dimitri.

It didn't take long for me to forget my troubles, to forget anything that wasn't Dimitri. All I could focus on was Dimitri, his kisses, his caresses. Within minutes, my shirt ended up somewhere in the kitchen, with Dimitri's following. This time, I knew we weren't leaving the kitchen any time soon, and it had nothing to do with Abe.

**~*M-ish*~**

I threw my head back, biting back a scream, as Dimitri entered me. I clutched at him, nails digging into his back. Being together likes this, after so long, was almost like the first time. Thought part of me had wanted to take it slow, memorize each other again, the rest of me craved to be close to Dimitri again. We had all the time in the world to go slow.

He certainly wasn't going slow now. Dimitri pounded into me, his pants and boxers barely pooling at his feet. My hand hit the cupboard several times, but I didn't care. All I cared about was Dimitri, the feel of his naked skin, hot against mine, sweat forming. The heady sent of sex, Dimitri, and sweat filled the air. Dimitri held me close, hindering his movement, but neither of us cared. We were both so close after months apart, release came quickly, too quickly. We orgasmed at the same time, crying out for each other.

**~*End of M-ish*~**

Afterward, Dimitri leaned on the counter, still in me. I could feel his heart pounding heart, in sync with mine.

I ran a hand through his hair, and kissed his head. "I missed you, so much," I whispered. I kissed his head again. "Promise we won't be apart that long?" I asked weakly.

Dimitri held me tighter. "I promise. Never again." He kissed me. "We'll always be together. No matter what."

* * *

A/N: All done :D Don't worry, there will be a sequel! A short one (I think) that's going to take place about four years after this story. Rose and Dimitri have settled into their human life. They're happy, and now have an extra mouth to feed, but what happens when Rose's mother finds them? A chase of epic proportions begins, ending in a way no one could ever imagine. How's that? It's just a working summary, and I won't be posting it until after I have finished Until the End (only ten more chapters!) so it'll be a bit of a wait. I'll be working on sequels once I finished UTE :D

Those of you who have read The Indigo Spell, what do you think?! Especially about little Miss Quick Study (;

Thank you for reviewing to **RozaRocks **(Of course it was brilliant! Abe was in on it (; And I would never let Dimitri die...just almost die! Lol xD), **XxXRose-DimitriForeverXxX, Guest** (Don't worry, there's a sequel :D), **peggy **(yes, and you shall see (;), **J** (the movie looks like it's going to be okay(: as to what happens...you'll see(; Yeah, but Dimitri's actor IS RUSSIAN! None of those guys are. You'll get to hear a genuine Russian accent! ^_^Read all of those, except High School Musical. Yeah, I stopped with VD. too..bleh lol, that's how many I read xD No, wait, I tihnk I got to the third. Either way... Beautiful creatures, too. HON...just, mer. Too looong. They should have ended it a long time ago. OMG, loooove Hush, Hush. I'm waiting for a friend to finish Finale so I can borrow it and read it :P Which Nightshade? By Andrea...Cre-somthing? I gotta read Bloodrose :P)** Vampswols4L** (hehe, I'll put her reaction into the sequel :P)**, Mori Belicov Hathaway, Music books horses** (I was going to, but then I decided he needed love xD We'll see about that...(;),** xX Dimka's girl 4 ever Xx** (yeah, there is. I figured he needed love :P), **kcripep, XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX, ClauIloveDimitriBelikov, Gaspazha Belikova, LolitaPop27 **(lol ,thanks for the distinction xD Well...maybe not an epilogue, but a sequel! :D).

Sorry for the long wait; I had to finish a short story. It was due yesterday. I had to write a 16,000 word short story in a matter of a week. Yup, I did it :D


	16. Sequel!

Hey, guys! Guess what? The sequel is up! It's called 'Unbreakable Love.' Go read and review!

-Tatiana


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